Sam DeLap

Sam DeLap ’21 quickly rose through the ranks at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a global leader in technology integration.

Starting as a cloud engineering intern, DeLap got promoted three times in just one year, most recently to Amazon Web Services lead engineer. In this role, he spearheads the addition of new services and the improvements of existing capabilities within Cloud One, a secure cloud platform managed by the U.S. Air Force and used by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop, deploy and scale mission-critical digital applications that leverage the latest commercial technologies.

“I’ve always enjoyed drinking from the fire hose and growing my skill set, so it’s all fun challenges to take on,” says DeLap, a native of Methuen, Massachusetts.

DeLap didn’t initially see himself entering the world of cloud computing. He double-majored in mathematics and biological sciences with a concentration in bioinformatics after his grandmother was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.

“I watched doctors try traditional treatments and fail, then move her to an experimental gene therapy that added another 10 years to her life,” he recalls. “I developed an interest in genetics after seeing the impact that it had.”

Thanks to the Immersive Scholars program, which awards merit scholarships up to $4,000 to incoming students for experiential learning, DeLap became involved in Biological Sciences Associate Professor Nicolai Konow’s lab. As a member of the Honors College, DeLap conducted his honors thesis in the lab, on muscle force.

“There’s a certain level of curiosity that developed while I was doing research that has served me very well,” says DeLap, who decided to pursue a master’s degree in biological sciences.

During DeLap’s first year in the master’s program, he discovered his passion for computer coding. Utilizing the programming language Python, he compiled tools used to automate X-ray tracking, making it easier to examine the movement of animals.

DeLap took his newfound passion and searched for a data science internship. He met with SAIC employees at a career fair on campus, and they encouraged him to apply for their cloud computing summer internship. DeLap now serves as a mentor to other UMass Lowell students who intern at SAIC.

“Giving back and helping out in the community has been a passion of mine, so it’s a great feeling to take the skills I’ve learned and share that with other UMass Lowell students who are in the same spot I was,” says DeLap, who is a third-generation River Hawk (his father and grandfather both graduated from UMass Lowell).

DeLap sees even more opportunities to give back to UMass Lowell with SAIC being a partner in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), a 1.2-million-square-foot mixed-use development project designed to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem.

“LINC gives folks like me who had such a great experience at UML the chance to invest back in the university community, and for SAIC, it gives them greater access to a pool of young, talented professionals,” he says.

DeLap continues to work toward his master’s degree while enjoying his time at SAIC.

“I’m very happy where I’m at now,” he says.