(Ford City, PA) Jordan Mills would wear a plastic campaign hat that read POLICE in “big, white, bold letters” above its wide brim when as a 6-year-old she pretended to patrol campsites at her family’s getaway in Armstrong County.

“I’ve never thought about anything else,” the 18-year-old said.

She also never thought about attending any institution of higher education other than BC3 @ Armstrong after graduating in spring 2025 from nearby Lenape Technical School, where she studied law enforcement information technology.

“Lenape really, really advertised BC3 @ Armstrong,” Mills said. “On top of that, it was the closest college I could go to. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll try that.’”

The Leechburg teen has been a BC3 @ Armstrong student since fall 2025.

“I give it a 10 out of 10,” Mills said.

Prospective students can explore the advantages of BC3 @ Armstrong and apply free during its Pioneer Night, scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 29 at 1100 Fourth Ave., Ford City. 

Guests can RSVP at bc3.edu/pioneer-night 

 

“We invite our community friends and neighbors to tour our facility and hear about programs and possibilities at BC3 @ Armstrong.”

-- Karen Zapp, BC3 @ Armstrong director 

 

 

“I am thriving academically and I am very proud of myself. So is my family.”

-- Jordan Mills, BC3 @ Armstrong student

 

BC3 @ Armstrong’s Pioneer Night will showcase its associate degree career and transfer programs, and financial aid and scholarship opportunities that enabled 93 percent of BC3’s Class of 2025 to graduate debt-free.

Guests can also attend short presentations and tour the 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that opened in March 2023 in Ford City fewer than two miles from Lenape Technical School.

“Pioneer Night provides a great opportunity for prospective students and their families to learn about BC3 @ Armstrong, explore programs and academic opportunities, and connect with faculty and staff, all in one evening,” said Dr. Josh Novak, BC3’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

Karen Zapp is BC3 @ Armstrong’s director.

“We invite our community friends and neighbors to tour our facility and hear about programs and possibilities at BC3 @ Armstrong,” Zapp said.  

 

“The quality of education here is fabulous”

BC3 @ Armstrong 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.

“The quality of education here is fabulous,” Mills said, adding that BC3 @ Armstrong’s small class sizes enable faculty to discuss material more thoroughly with students.

“In bigger universities, with up to 150 students in a class, the professor can’t keep track of everybody,” Mills said. “You can’t. It’s almost impossible.”

Faculty members at BC3 @ Armstrong, Mills said, know and greet students by name.

“That makes me feel great,” Mills said. “All the professors try hard to make you understand their material to help you to get good grades.”

She earned a grade-point average of at least 3.75 in her first semester at BC3 @ Armstrong and was named to BC3’s president’s list. She also qualified to join BC3’s Rho Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society, and was formally inducted April 22.

“I am thriving academically and I am very proud of myself,” Mills said. “So is my family.”

Pioneer Night guests can review BC3 @ Armstrong’s associate degree transfer programs in business administration, early childhood education (Pre K-4), general studies and psychology.

BC3 @ Armstrong’s credits transfer to public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.

Prospective students attending Pioneer Night can also explore BC3 @ Armstrong’s associate degree career programs in business management and health care science.

Students in BC3 @ Armstrong’s career programs can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

 

“An incredible educational experience”

Tuition and fees for students pursuing 30 credits through in-person courses in the 2025-2026 academic year cost $9,300 at BC3 @ Armstrong, at least $10,906 at regional public four-year institutions and $22,772 at area state-related universities.

Those students can receive up to $12,289 in federal and state grants, according to Juli Louttit, BC3’s director of student financial services.

The BC3 Education Foundation in 2025-2026 distributed to BC3 students a record 164 named scholarships totaling $295,210, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, scholarship and development coordinator with the foundation. 

Among recipients were students from Apollo, Cadogan, Cowansville, Kittanning, Rural Valley and Worthington, Cornetti said.

“BC3 @ Armstrong students will receive an incredible educational experience, likely with smaller classes sizes, while saving considerable costs,” Novak said. “That affordability, combined with many financial aid and scholarship opportunities, allow many students to attend BC3 debt-free.” 

Guests at Pioneer Night can learn about BC3’s Keystone Education Yields Success program.

KEYS is funded by the state Department of Human Services and is designed to help students who receive cash assistance or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to pursue post-secondary education at a Pennsylvania’s community college.

Mills will take criminology classes on BC3’s main campus in the fall toward her goal of graduating in May 2027 -- and debt-free, which she said will be “great” -- as she continues to pursue a career inspired at her family’s getaway in Armstrong County.

“All I know is that I want to be in the law enforcement field,” Mills said, “because I basically like to help people.”