Each May, Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month recognizes and honors the variety of ways the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have enriched our country. With such a wide variety of people who identify as part of these communities, AAPI Heritage Month offers us the chance to recognize the rich cultures and unique contributions of the individual groups within them while simultaneously uniting in celebration of a shared experience.

It's that celebration of shared experiences that resonates most about AAPI Heritage Month for Darren Chung, a retail banking branch manager serving Wintrust branches in Chicago’s River North, Streeterville and Wrigleyville neighborhoods.

“Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month enables us to educate ourselves on our own history, contributions and rights in this country,” Chung said, noting that the time for raising awareness and advocating for inclusion has never been more crucial. “With the recent rise in violence against the AAPI community, we need to reject all different forms of discrimination and racism.”

Darren knows that it’s through our daily interactions that perspectives can be broadened in the exchange of our real-world experiences. As a part of the Wintrust team for the last 5 years, he takes pride in being himself at work every day—and breaking barriers in the process.

“Me simply being in a management position within Wintrust demonstrates to our clients that Wintrust is truly inclusive and represents all of the different communities that we serve,” Chung said. “I hope to continue being successful so my work opens doors for our industry and community to become even more diverse and representative.”

For Darren, it’s of great personal importance to advocate for inclusivity in his daily life, both at work and outside of it. At Wintrust, he’s found the opportunity to do just that through Wintrust’s business resource groups, community partnerships and ongoing programming in what he called a “truly inclusive work environment.”

“Wintrust really encourages you to be your own leader and provides the resources you need to be involved in what you are passionate about,” Chung said.

When he isn’t spending his time working in service of his clients and colleagues at Wintrust, Darren plays an active role on the associate board of the Chinese American Service League (CASL). He’s passionate about bringing different cultures and ethnicities together through education and hopes to continue using his story and the stories of others in the AAPI community as catalysts for change.

“Sharing stories goes a long way towards changing people’s perceptions about what it’s like being Asian in America,” Chung said. “Together, we can drive further positive change by raising awareness, building understanding and broadening educational efforts about the AAPI experience.” 

Wintrust is proud to celebrate the members of the AAPI community inside the Wintrust family and beyond. We recognize that the AAPI community is an important faction of the diverse cultures instrumental in driving this country to success. Happy Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month!