PLEASE SEE A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM

AMG VICE PRESIDENT, MAY GAYLE MENGERT ANNOUNCING THE 2021/2022

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

2021 Scholarship Winners

AMG received more than 70 applicants to this year’s scholarship program. Our scholarship applicants reflect the diversity of our client communities and the Carolina’s in general. The essays also reflected the care our local young adults have for their communities. We are so proud of all of the applicants!

*All scholarships are 100% funded by the owners of AMG, not community association fees or assessments.*

Being someone who is a daughter of immigrant parents, was born in Cameroon, West Africa, and moved to America when I was five years old, I truly understand the importance of community. Community for me is a support system in terms of having a diverse group of people that you can rely on. I can recall the broad range of people that helped my family and I acclimate to a new and different culture from our neighbors to my teachers and even my elementary school crossing guard. I know my family and I would not have been able to thrive were it not for these people who served as a village that has helped to raise me.
I also believe community is an exchange of information and new concepts. As we were able to learn from our new neighbors, they were also able to learn more about us and our culture. At the time, the depiction of Africa was not the most positive and as a result, some people had a skewed perception of Africans in general. It was important to share our perspective and culture so that they could see a more honest and realistic perception of not only Africans but Cameroonians specifically.

Finally, Community is also about welcoming diversity, equity, and inclusion. What I have learned especially recently, is to feel more comfortable speaking up about my personal experience in this country especially as a woman born in Cameroon and experiences from a kindergarten schoolgirl to a young woman working in corporate America. This is integral to why I am pursuing my MBA and Kenan-Flagler Business School this fall. I want to be able to interact with others that have unique and different perspectives and learn from others in order to have meaningful dialogue and ultimately effect change which will work toward creating a more equitable society.

Being part of a community gives humans a sense of belonging, enabling us to embrace our spirit, character, image, and pride. My community consists of my teachers, neighbors, co-workers, mentors, family, and friends. I have my community to thank for instilling dedication, humility, dependability, integrity, and leadership within myself. As a first-generation college student and first-generation immigrant, it was hard navigating my way through adulthood without my parent’s knowledge of America. My parents, being immigrants, were not able to assist me with my homework growing up or help me complete a college application.
I learned to speak English with the support of my teachers, family, and friends. At a young age, I began helping my parents translate documents and fill out my own paperwork, creating a sense of independence early on. Although my parents were not able to help me with school-related topics, they taught me important values and morals that allowed me to be open-minded, aware, and accepting of others. My community members filled the voids in any places that I needed help with. My school counselors and teachers helped guide me through my college application process which allowed me to become the first person in my family to go to college.

Through the connections in my community, I was able to get my first job, participate in extracurricular activities, improve my social skills, go to college, and build meaningful relationships. The connections that I have built with the people in my community have contributed to a large portion of my character development. The advice that the adults in my life have given me has been valuable information that they provide because they care about my well-being. Community means unity, people from different backgrounds striving towards a common goal that benefits everyone instead of seeking personal gain. A positive, uplifting, and supporting environment is what a community consists of and it is what I strive to give back to my community, the community that has built me into the young woman I am today.

Throughout my youth my mother used the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”. At the time, the words did not hold meaning and I dismissed it as one of my mother’s funny sayings. My youth and community appeared normal to my young perspective. We spent weekends with family, attended school functions, soccer games, and visited friends’ homes for cookouts. In seventh grade came my world was turned upside down. Within the year, my parents divorced, friends and family divisions were drawn, my father went into rehabilitation for alcoholism, and I was left feeling like a girl who did not belong. I didn’t know anyone whose parents were divorced, much less anyone who was dealing with the disease of addiction. Suddenly, I was a girl who didn’t fit in! Where did I belong? Who was my community?

To fill the emptiness I felt at home, I threw myself into High School. I joined Student Council, Spirit Club, soccer team, and attended every school function I could. I was fortunate to have excellent teachers, coaches, and school counselors who I confided in about my troubles. I continued to attend YMCA camp and volunteered; ultimately, I was hired as a Counselor. Since I was absent from the community at home, I was determined to build the community that I needed around me. These connections helped shape my perspective and help me understand that others were dealing with challenges of addiction, financial troubles, and family strife. Connecting and sharing with others opened my mind and heart. I became more empathetic and ultimately it helped me heal from the pain of divorce. My community gave me hope.

Perhaps the ultimate return on the communities that I joined was evidenced at my High School Graduation. My “village”, the friend who helped my father get into rehab, my mentor from YMCA camp, my grandparents, my mother, and my sister all stood in celebration of me. My lesson is that we all want to belong, and our circumstances may be challenging, and we may feel different. However, I believe that you can find community by giving openly of yourself, by sharing your struggles with others, and giving and receiving hope.

Late rapper and music producer, Tupac Shakur once quipped, “I am a reflection of my community.” Today, I reflect on these words as we grapple with the unprecedented strife that has occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We unwittingly find ourselves spiraling even further into the depth of uncertainty and sadness because of civil unrest in the country and world. While both intertwined realities are unpleasant and rare, they allow us to examine the many aspects of what it means to be a community. However, unexpected and challenging, these truths equip me with the resilience, fortitude, and gratitude to continue in my journey to contribute to and foster the communities that I belong to.

Merriam Webster defines “community” (noun), as a unified body of individuals; or people with common interests living in a particular area. And while I agree with the textbook definition, community, and all its nuances, mean so much more to me. The African proverb, Ubuntu, captures what I believe to be the essence, and living meaning of the word ‘community.’ Ubuntu, roughly translated as "I am because we are,” is also defined as ‘humanity.’ It means that we - collectively can only be the most productive, vibrant, and happy versions of ourselves when we acknowledge and leverage our interconnectedness with one another. I strive to embody this principle in the varied facets of my life.

As a child, my Parkside neighborhood community in Chapel Hill, NC, provided me with the nurturing, friendships, and sense of belonging that I still derive a purpose to this day. While I was not Tar Heel born, I am most proudly a Tar Heel bred. I came to the Parkside community as a small child and it has afforded me lifelong friends, safety, and a treasured public-school education. It gave me one of the most important communities that I could have asked for. It represents my permanent home today. The countless opportunities for further communities evolved from my Parkside neighborhood community; it includes my Girl scout community–where I earned both bronze and silver awards. This community formed a vital part of my moral fiber. Through my girl scout activities spanning 10 years, I took on the role of a leader to many of the younger girls by creating activities to teach them lessons about civic duty and social responsibility. As an Ambassador, which is the highest level of the Girl Scout trajectory, I committed to leadership and ultimate service to the community.

My community also led me to my church community – where I learned Christian values that I practice today. The church community taught me service in leadership from a toddler through my teen years. I served as a role model to the younger members when I participated in liturgical dance and the AME Youth Leadership Institute, among other initiatives. It became apparent that my actions and a positive self-image were necessary to model for those who looked up to me. The enduring spirit of the church community continues to model the spirit of people-helping-people.

Finally, after one year in college – virtual or in-person, my Tar Heel community came to life through shared values, education, and service during the pandemic. Even though the past year tested my resolve, I contributed to the UNC-CH campus community 1) as a counselor for a pre-college program for first-generation and under-represented minorities; 2) as a colleague and friend to a peer group; 3) as an officer of an organization that strives to complete community service on campus; and finally, as a fan and supporter of our treasured UNC Tar Heel athletes. The sense of purpose and shared values were immense. None of these communities could have been possible without the togetherness it created. It could not have been attained as an individual pursuit. The 2020 movie Nomadland depicts the sentiment of ‘community’ through the character “Bob” who says, “I've met hundreds of people out here, and I don't ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, “I'll see you down the road.” Alas, we only get one opportunity to live this life complete with its awe-inspiring possibilities and its shortcomings once – and it is far too short and precious not to seize those moments - with and within a community of people and places. I aspire to do exactly this.

Scholarships to Honor Community Members

These scholarships awarded this year honor the memory of four individuals who made a difference in the lives of others:

Billie Butler Scholarship

Billie joined our AMG Charlotte office in 1994. For more than 20 years, Billie used her nurturing skills to assist AMG staff members and provide exemplary customer service to AMG community members.

Ron Erickson Scholarship

Ron was a financial planning professional, a big-hearted mentor, and a true friend to many.  Ron's dedication to public service and helping others was world class. He was a role model to all who knew him.

Corey Flynt Scholarship

Corey was the son of AMG’s President, Dacy Cavicchia, and brother of Danielle Rudisill (AMG Charlotte Director of Operations) and Cassie Kutay (AMG Special Projects Coordinator). Corey tragically passed away in an automobile accident in 2017. He attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, was loved by many and, cared passionately for his family.

Meet The Scholarship Committee

To view the 2020 winners, please visit www.AMGworld.com/2020scholarships