Geoffrey Bokor, left, and Madison Ritter are students at BC3 @ Lawrence in Shenango Township. Bokor, 23, of Ellwood City, is studying business management student and Ritter, 24, of Mahoningtown, business administration. Prospective students can apply free to BC3 @ Lawrence during its Pioneer Night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. March 25.
(New Castle, PA) Geoffrey Bokor, 23, transferred to BC3 @ Lawrence when it debuted in August and after attending a regional public university, and Madison Ritter, 24, enrolled after working as a cosmetologist and as a child care provider.
“I feel it’s a great decision,” said Bokor, of Ellwood City. “I know I kind of did the order a little backwards. A lot of people go to BC3 and then to a bigger institution.”
Ritter, of Mahoningtown, said she “was just researching colleges around here, and BC3 was the best. I was looking up BC3’s information and it had really great reviews.”
Bokor is pursuing an associate degree from BC3 @ Lawrence in business management and Ritter, in business administration.
Prospective students who attend Pioneer Night on March 25 can review those and other BC3 @ Lawrence career and transfer programs, learn about its transferable credits and explore financial aid and scholarship opportunities that enabled 93 percent of BC3’s Class of 2025 to graduate debt-free.
BC3 @ Lawrence will also waive its $25 application fee for prospective and dual-enrollment students during Pioneer Night.
The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at BC3 @ Lawrence in Shenango Commons, 2658 Ellwood Road, Suite 129, New Castle. Prospective and dual-enrollment students can RSVP at bc3.edu/pioneer-night.
“The professors are super-easy to talk to. You get quick and helpful responses when you email them or talk to them in person.”
- Geoffrey Bokor, business management student, BC3 @ Lawrence
Health care science student Gina Shearer, of New Castle, attends a psychology class Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at BC3 @ Lawrence in Shenango Township. Prospective students can apply free to BC3 @ Lawrence during its Pioneer Night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. March 25.
“They really get to know the faculty and the faculty get to know them. We know the students personally. We know them by name. We’re invested in them.”
- Sean Carroll, director, BC3 @ Lawrence
BC3 @ Lawrence opened Aug. 25. It is among five locations for Butler County Community College, named the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania by Niche.com and for an 11th time since 2015 by online resources that review and evaluate data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Bokor graduated in 2021 from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City and Ritter, in 2019 from the Lawrence County Career & Technical Center in New Castle. Bokor earned a grade-point average of at least 3.75 in the fall and was named to BC3’s president’s list, and Ritter has joined BC3’s Rho Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society.
Bokor plans a career in sales and Ritter, as an entrepreneur.
“Going to Ellwood, it was obviously a little smaller, so I grew up with more one-on-one teaching to a smaller classroom,” Bokor said. “I feel like I definitely didn’t have that in some of my classes at the university and I definitely have that at BC3 for sure.
“The professors are super-easy to talk to. You get quick and helpful responses when you email them or talk to them in person. They wouldn’t just give you a one-word answer and show you the door. They give more detailed answers and are more helpful.”
The faculty at BC3 @ Lawrence, Ritter added, “are very down to earth and very supportive of every student’s success. They are happy to explain and make sure you are understanding what they are teaching.”
That, said Sean Carroll, director of BC3 @ Lawrence, “is one of the things that I keep hearing about, the personal attention. They really get to know the faculty and the faculty get to know them. We know the students personally. We know them by name. We’re invested in them. With our smaller classes, we have the opportunity to do that.
“When students talk about their time here, they say one of the reasons they had such a positive experience was their relationships with faculty and staff.”
Dr. Erika Nail and Julia Carney during Pioneer Night will speak with prospective students during 15-minute presentations that begin at 6:15 p.m. and at 6:55 p.m.
Nail, BC3 professor, will speak about the college’s business and information technology division, and Carney, dean of BC3’s Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health, will speak about health care science.
Students attend a general psychology class at BC3 @ Lawrence in Shenango Township on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. Prospective students can apply free to BC3 @ Lawrence during its Pioneer Night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. March 25.
“BC3 is probably one of the best decisions I have made for my career and life. I think I am on a path to success.”
- Madison Ritter, business administration student, BC3 @ Lawrence
BC3’s affordability, financial aid options and BC3 Education Foundation scholarships enabled 93 percent of its Class of 2025 to graduate debt-free.
Tuition and fees for BC3 students from Lawrence and Mercer counties pursuing 15 credits each semester in the 2025-2026 academic year cost $9,300 for in-person courses. Those students can receive up to $12,289 in federal and state grants.
“BC3’s affordability was obviously a huge draw,” said Bokor, who plans to graduate in May.
Students from Ellwood City, Grove City, Hermitage, Mercer, New Castle, New Wilmington, Portersville and Sharpsville were selected by the BC3 Education Foundation to receive one of its record 164 named scholarships in 2025-2026.
Pioneer Night will also feature presentations about paying for college at 6:35 p.m. and about steps to take after applying at 6:55 p.m.
“That’s one of the things I am most grateful for, that they helped me find ways to come out of BC3 debt-free,” said Ritter, who plans to graduate in May 2027. “BC3 is probably one of the best decisions I have made for my career and life. I think I am on a path to success.”
Guests can talk with BC3 @ Lawrence faculty, staff and administrators or ask additional questions from 7:10 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
BC3 @ Lawrence offers transfer programs in business administration, criminology, early childhood education (Pre K-4), general studies, history, psychology and social work. Credits earned at BC3 @ Lawrence transfer to public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
It also offers career programs in accounting, business management, health care science, heath care office management and technical trades-cosmetology management option. Students in BC3 @ Lawrence’s career programs can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.
BC3 @ Lawrence’s neighbors within the Shenango Commons plaza include restaurants, indoor pickleball courts, gymnastics and fitness centers, and nearby, the 35-acre Shenango Community Park with picnic pavilions, a walking trail, and volleyball and bocce courts.