Mark Griffey
Isaiah Belle (ENG’00) has spent the last nine years at Google, where he currently works as a Staff Software Engineer and Technical Lead. Belle earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Penn Engineering in 2000 and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media at Columbia in 2007. In a recent Q&A, Belle discussed key connections made at his first study hall, the importance of passion in your work and his favorite movie quote.
Tell us about your experience at Penn.
I came to Penn in the fall of 1996 after graduating from Lankenau High School in Philadelphia. Before applying to Penn, I had never heard of the Ivy League and I just wanted a good school close to home with a good science and engineering program.
Thanks to the knowledge and guidance from my high school mentors (David and Anne Hilton), the love and encouragement from my parents and a strong supportive Philadelphia community, I was able to get into Penn and win a Mayor’s scholarship that made the journey ahead possible.
While at Penn, I studied computer science and engineering and built some lifelong friendships with folks I met through the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Science and Technology Wing residential program. Along the way, I also had some amazing experiences, both in and out of the classroom, that shaped how I see the world and my place in it today.
What’s your most memorable moment?
I remember my first study hall in Ms. Cora Ingrum’s office. I met some of the other Black engineering students studying engineering and I knew I had found my tribe. Most of the folks I met in that office are friends to this day.
What is a fun fact about you?
I love trivia, especially movies and pop culture, and I tend to think about my moods in terms of random movie quotes. So far 2025 is “Now is not the time for fear … that comes later,” from The Dark Knight Rises.
Which professor had the greatest impact on you and why?
There were two professors at Penn who stood out to me. Herman Beavers showed me the power of Black American literature and poetry as a lens to view myself and the world in a way my science and engineering course could not. Max Mintz was the most passionate computer scientist I have ever met and that passion made his lessons resonate with me more than the content itself.
What inspires you to give to Penn?
I had a mentor and support system to get me into and through Penn that I did not know I needed and would not have known how to construct if I did. If I can be a part of that same sort of support system for a student who otherwise might be lost or have less successful outcomes, then I want to do that.