At SAIC, we embrace the diverse cultures, heritages and traditions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, which has made significant contributions to the history and success of our nation – and they continue to do so today. As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, we asked some colleagues to share their personal stories, cultural experiences and influences. Each serves an important role at SAIC as co-chairs of our Employee Resource Groups, and we are proud of their contributions to our organization!
Asian American
Celebrating Stories, Experiences and Contributions
and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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Ryan Dedios
Senior Field Engineer, Navy Business Group
Momena Ali
Program Analyst Principal, Civilian Business Group
Momena Ali
Program Analyst Principal, Civilian Business Group
Ryan Dedios
Senior Field Engineer, Navy Business Group
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life or career that significantly impacted who you are today?
A couple of years back, one of the most pivotal moments of my career occurred when I needed to find additional tasking because my previous project was coming to an end and no available work-related job function was needed for my specialty. Fortunately enough, I had previous work relations with other program managers, and they knew about my work, so I was quickly picked up by another project.
How did this influence your approach to work and/or leadership?
This influenced my approach to work because one may believe that your work doesn’t show but it really does. As long as you believe in yourself and how you approach work every single day, people really do see your hard work.
How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Being Filipino American, it can shape your thoughts, your emotions and your actions to others. For example, the way we work with others can affect our self-esteem and our relationships with them. My golden rule is to treat others as you would want to be treated by them.
What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?
Accomplishing a challenging goal. When you challenge yourself and work hard to achieve it, that feeling of accomplishment makes you feel unstoppable.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life or career that significantly impacted who you are today?
One of my previous directors at SAIC used to call me a rock star. He did this as soon as I joined his team and before he really knew me very well beyond my resume. In other words, he probably had little idea if I was a rock star or not. He always assumed the best of me in every situation, supporting my choices and affirming his trust in my judgment and decision-making. If I wasn’t a rock star before, I certainly wanted to be one because of his leadership. This type of affirmation taught me that you can absolutely change team culture simply by treating people as who they could be, the best version of themselves, rather than only focusing on who they are.
How did this influence your approach to work and/or leadership?
This experience showed me that it may be far more important to provide people with an atmosphere and the right tools to make successful decisions, rather than instruct them directly on what to do. The latter approach sometimes only produces followers, while the former empowers people to think critically and take ownership of their choices in the process of becoming better leaders.
How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
This is a tough question. There is a lot to unpack about being from an AAPI background and exploring the identity that comes from this designation, especially in today’s America. In tangible terms of how I have been shaped, I could list easy answers about how I am someone who will always take their shoes off in the house, prefers eating meals family style and using chopsticks, and will probably call people older than me "Uncle" or "Auntie" (but not at work). But some parts are less simple to explain and maybe less easy for others to digest. The person I am today is also an embodiment of the hardships – racism, prejudice, injustice – that my parents had to endure when they came to this country because of their heritage. It means that I am very aware of my otherness in every interaction, that sometimes I am too American and that sometimes I am not American enough, all the while holding these identities in tension. In his poem, "Song of Myself," Walt Whitman writes, “We are large. We contain multitudes,” and this phrase is a great summation of how I would describe myself now, as well as how I would like to perceive others.
What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?
My Pomeranian, Lieutenant Dan. He is adorable and incredibly expensive, and we have to sing to him while he eats or else he will starve himself. I know that if I can take care of this lovable gremlin, I can do anything.
This May, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and the exceptional contributions our AAPI community has made within our organization. We spotlight the stories and achievements of two of our distinguished employees. Their narratives demonstrate the rich diversity of the AAPI community within SAIC.
Ryan Dedios
Senior Field Engineer, Navy Business Group
Momena Ali
Program Analyst Principal, Civilian Business Group
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life or career that significantly impacted who you are today?
Ryan Dedios
Senior Field Engineer, Navy Business Group
Momena Ali
Program Analyst Principal, Civilian Business Group
Can you share a pivotal moment in your life or career that significantly impacted who you are today?
How did this influence your approach to work and/or leadership?
How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?