Sunayana Dumala grew up in a humble middle-class family in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, and was the first person from her entire family to come to the United States pursuing her dream of being independent and learning through her experiences. She married her husband, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, in 2012 after a six-year courtship. Life was good as Dumala worked as a database developer/data integration engineer while her husband pursued a successful career as an aviation systems engineer with Garmin. They bought a home in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kansas, and were looking to start a family. However, on Feb. 22, 2017, her dreams were shatterd when Kuchibolhtla was shot to death at local tavern when a gunman walked in and yelled “get out of my country”.
After the incident upended her life, Dumala began a new journey as an advocate for fighting discrimination and ignorance. She established the nonprofit organization, Forever Welcome, focused on increasing awareness about immigrants and their positive contributions. Forever Welcome works to facilitate dialogue to create understanding and more inclusive communities across the United States. Recently relocating to the Orlando area, Dumala continues building the footprint of Forever Welcome.
