Computer Science alumna helps develop medical workflow app

When Taylor Bellegue,’23, enrolled at Montgomery County Community College to pursue a Cloud Computing certificate, she made the first strategic step toward a successful academic career pathway in Computer Science (AS).

Today she’s completed a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Cybersecurity, from West Chester University, graduating summa cum laude. She’s also been hired as a project lead app developer.

“It feels like such a great success,” she said on earning her degree. “My family and close friends were there to see me walk across the stage and see me in my cap and gown and regalia and stoles. It couldn't have been more perfect.”

As she turns an eye toward graduate studies and the future, she credits the support and guidance she’s continued to receive from MCCC, for helping her continue to achieve academic success.

Making the grade

Bellegue, 36, of Norristown, is a 2008 Boyertown Senior High School graduate, who graduated from MCCC in 2023. She works part-time at MCCC as a Business Intelligence Data Analyst in the Information Technology (IT) Department.

Some of her responsibilities include operational reporting. She and her team create reports that cover, for example, scholarships, different types of funding and other factors that help determine how many sections are needed for a course based on attendance, she said.

“One of my biggest responsibilities over the past year and a half has been serving as the subject matter expert for one of the biggest migrations the College has ever done,” she said. “We're migrating our Enterprise Resource Planning reporting system. I have to say, for me, it's quite an honor to be so involved in something of this scale.”

When she first enrolled at MCCC, she was initially planning to earn a Cloud Computing Certificate. Yet, she quickly discovered a strong passion for Computer Science and became a model student.

“Computer Science Professor Kendall Martin saw something in my work that I didn't— it's one of the reasons why she's such a gifted educator,” said Bellegue. “I enrolled in an associate's program, and from there, for my major educational milestones, Dr. Martin was there and, most of the time, was the catalyst.”

By the end of her first semester, faculty including Advisor Rob Heller and Martin encouraged her to take an entry level computer programming course, which ultimately led her on the path to completing an associate’s degree.

“Every semester I would enroll and register for more courses,” she said. “Being consistent, showing up and persevering got me to where I needed to go. You should be passionate about what you’re going to school for. If you show up, persevere and stay consistent, anyone can get to this point. Everything I know I worked extremely hard to learn.”

Bellegue also got involved on campus. She was a member of the Women in Science and Technology (WIST), an initiative which encourages and supports female students in the Computer Science and technology fields.

“WIST gave me a foundation for what a mentor should look like,” said Bellegue, mentioning Martin, Mary Beaver, Senior Director, Enterprise Software Systems, and Dr. Mary-Kate Najarian, Director of User Success and Learning Technologies, as strong mentor examples. “The women in that group taught me how to respond, reach out, and support in ways I didn't quite know how to do.”

In addition, Martin helped her land a position as a student worker at the IT Help Desk, where she met one of her mentors, Rob Vogel, Assistant Director of Software Development and Process Automation. She also co-led the Java Bootcamp program, later called Codebreakers Club, which helped Computer Science students sharpen their skills in coding by mentoring one another.

“Java Bootcamp and the Help Desk definitely gave me leadership skills,” she said, “and an endless set of soft skills that I either learned or greatly improved.”

Excelling in her courses, she was named a Transfer Pathway honoree of the 2023 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, which is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year colleges, and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. Bellegue used the scholarship to transfer to West Chester. She’s also received a vocational training scholarship through Lockheed Martin.

The education she received at the MCCC, she said, helped her learn what it would take to be successful at a four-year institution and beyond.

“I got a solid foundation in what good education looks like and what is expected of me as a student from my time at Montco,” she said. “So, continuing my education at a university was not a shock to me; it was very seamless.”

There’s an app for that

The PTK scholarship from MCCC required her to physically attend classes at West Chester on campus, which turned into a blessing in disguise, she said.

“It helped me further my education by providing opportunities to be more involved —opportunities I didn't realize I was missing,” she said. “For example, I was part of the Cybersecurity Club, and last spring we participated in a regional Capture the Flag competition and came in first place! I learned a lot about cybersecurity in the real world from that competition.”

“This project incorporated everything I've learned as a student and employee at Montco to manage the team and incorporate the skills I've acquired there to work with the client.” – Taylor Bellegue

At West Chester, Bellegue excelled in the Computer Science program, while also helping teach the next generation of Computer Science students. In November 2025, she and a small board of students organized the university’s first hack-a-thon for about 50 students from five area-high schools.

“That was really neat. It was special to be a part of that,” she said. “I had a unique position to offer most of the what the hack-a-thon was built on.”

Bellegue relied on the skills she first acquired in Java Bootcamp mentoring her classmates to help her organize the event. The event was designed for any student interested in Computer Science, regardless of skill or experience level. Students learned to design apps and programmed their names into a square piece of microbit motherboard, among other activities.

“We had participation from everybody. They wanted to be there,” said Bellegue. “It was neat to see how involved everybody was. We acted as mentors for these high school students. It was really special.”

For her software engineering capstone course in fall 2025, Bellegue and her classmates were assigned to work with an external client to develop an app to improve the workflow of medical doctors, allowing them to have more time to see and interact with patients.

“It was a full stack application,” she said. “From the very back to the very front, and everything in between. This app could help surgeons, clinicians or medical professionals during a procedure. For us, it was a highly structured 14-point procedure plan.”

Bellegue was the project’s team leader and oversaw the app’s front end, or everything a user sees when they log in.

“This was such a humongous learning experience,” she said. “This project incorporated everything I've learned as a student and employee at Montco to manage the team and incorporate the skills I've acquired there to work with the client.”

After the fall semester ended, she was offered a part-time position to continue to be the project’s lead and continue her research work, she said.

“It felt incredibly rewarding and reassuring—more than anything, it showed me that consistent effort and going a bit beyond what’s expected can really make a difference,” she said on being offered the job. “I wouldn’t say it was anything extraordinary, just a lot of steady work over time, but it meant a lot to see that recognized. It reminded me that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to contribute meaningfully; persistence and dedication carry a lot of weight, and I’ve seen them continue to pay off.”

Biggest cheerleader

Having now completed her bachelor’s degree, Bellegue said she’s already looking to the future. She’s in the process of applying to graduate school to continue studying Computer Science. In the meantime, she continues to work in MCCC’s IT Department. She’s grateful for the College’s supportive culture, which she said has allowed her to continue to develop professionally.

“If something can benefit Montco, benefit my team or my professional development, they have supported everything I’ve wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve never been told, ‘no we don’t support that.’ I’m very fortunate. Very happy. They say if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I’m still waiting for work to begin.”

With a bachelor’s degree in hand, Bellegue reflected on all she’s accomplished to this point and said she appreciated the encouragement she’s continued to receive from MCCC.

“My fiancé is one of my biggest cheerleaders, but Montco is right there next to him,” she said. “They have encouraged me every step of the way.”