(Brockway, PA) Butler County Community College’s 464-member Class of 2023 included a 33-year-old convenience store clerk who earned her first post-secondary credential at BC3 @ Brockway because, Stephanie Null said, “I need something more for me,” and graduated with honors.
Null, of DuBois, received an associate degree in psychology from BC3 @ Brockway during BC3’s 55th commencement May 17. The 2008 alumna of DuBois Area High School this fall will begin studies toward a bachelor’s degree.
Null enrolled at BC3 @ Brockway two years ago and worked 36 to 40 hours each week as a clerk in a store that sells sandwiches and beverages.
“As much as I love to be a clerk, I need something more for me,” Null said. “I’ve always been interested in psychology, and I want to help people. People are afraid to go back to school. I wanted to prove to myself and others that it is very possible.”
Null was among the 37 percent of graduates in BC3’s Class of 2023 who were at least 25.
“That made me feel more welcomed,” Null said. “There was a range of 18-year-olds to 50-year-olds.
“When I started, I was 30, 31 years old. Going back to school as an adult, it’s scary. Seeing people who were my age really helped me with my success.”
“I wanted to challenge myself because I really haven’t challenged myself up to this point. I wasn’t living up to my potential. It was very exciting to go to classes every day and really dive into that aspect in life.”
Null was among the approximately 60 percent of BC3 students this spring who were enrolled in transfer programs, according to Sharla Anke, the college’s assistant dean of institutional research and planning.
Among the top transfer programs for graduates in BC3’s Class of 2023, according to Becky Smith, the college’s director of records and registration, was psychology.
“For as long as I can remember, all I’ve wanted to do is help people,” Null said. “To help them navigate life. That’s my biggest interest. … I even have the ability to make more money, which is important.”
Null was named to BC3’s dean’s lists and graduated cum laude, a distinction for those with a grade-point average between 3.25 and 3.49.
“I wanted to challenge myself because I really haven’t challenged myself up to this point,” Null said. “I wasn’t living up to my potential. It was very exciting to go to classes every day and really dive into that aspect in life.”
“BC3 is very affordable”
Students who attend a community college for their first two years can save an estimated $20,000 on the cost of higher education, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.
Tuition and fees this spring at regional public four-year universities started at $437.23 per credit for Pennsylvania residents for an in-person course, and started at $374.20 for an online course.
Tuition and fees this spring for Pennsylvania residents attending regional state-related institutions’ branch campuses cost between $582 and $734 per credit for an in-person course, and started at $620 for an online course.
Tuition and fees this spring for students attending BC3 @ Brockway cost $280 per credit for an in-person course and $305 for an online course.
“BC3,” Null said, “is very affordable.”
Faculty want “people to succeed”
Students can apply BC3 @ Brockway credits toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Null will transfer this fall to PennWest Clarion to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later, a master’s degree in counseling.
The 2023 BC3 @ Brockway graduate echoed respondents to a recent survey that indicated 97 percent of BC3 graduates would recommend the college to others.
“BC3 @ Brockway is such an incredible school,” Null said. “My instructors were so good and helpful in leading me to my success. I just think they are wonderful people. They really care about wanting people to succeed. My grades showed that.”
Null is among nearly 53 percent of students in BC3’s Class of 2023 who graduated with honors.
BC3 @ Brockway’s fall semester begins Aug. 21. BC3 @ Brockway this fall will add a virtual alternative to its associate degree program in psychology. It will also debut additional associate degree, certificate and workplace certificate virtual programs whose courses will be instructed by BC3 faculty and accessible at any time.
