(Cranberry Township, PA) The first hand Russell Prevost shook when initiating his goal to one day greet other diplomats as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State was that of Dr. Ryan Kociela, director of BC3 @ Cranberry.
“Really welcoming,” Prevost said of Kociela. “So engaging. That went a long way in furthering my interest in BC3 @ Cranberry.”
Prevost met Kociela upon enrolling at BC3 @ Cranberry in January to begin his pursuit of an associate degree and of a career in which he intends to “serve my country through the development of relationships.”
“Russell,” Kociela said, “has a world of potential and high-level, professional aspirations.”
In addition to the reception he received from Kociela, the 20-year-old Zelienople resident said he picked BC3 @ Cranberry because of its location and affordability, which “provide a pathway to move forward.
“If you are not moving forward,” Prevost said, “you are almost always moving backward. BC3 @ Cranberry is a good transition to further your education and career aspirations.”
BC3 @ Cranberry to showcase affordability, programs
Prospective students can learn about BC3 @ Cranberry’s affordability, and its associate degrees in transfer and career programs during an open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 21 at 250 Executive Drive, Cranberry Township.
BC3 @ Cranberry will waive its $25 application fee for prospective students who apply for admission at the open house. Prospective students can RSVP at bc3.edu/open-house
Guests attending BC3 @ Cranberry’s open house can also meet faculty and staff, tour classrooms, and learn about support services, financial aid options and resources such as free tutoring.
“Our open houses give prospective students the opportunity to explore, to meet the people who can help them to begin their educational journey and start down that pathway toward really achieving their dreams,” said Morgan Rizzardi, BC3’s director of admissions.
“Stepping through our doors at an open house could really start that process for them.”
“Really welcoming. So engaging. That went a long way in furthering my interest in BC3 @ Cranberry.”
75% of BC3’s Class of 2023 graduated debt-free
BC3’s affordability, and financial aid and scholarships, allowed 75 percent of the college’s Class of 2023 to graduate debt-free.
Butler County residents attending BC3 @ Cranberry this spring are paying $187 per credit in tuition and fees for an in-person course. They would pay at least $437.23 per credit in tuition and fees at a regional public four-year university or $582 at a regional state-related institution’s branch campus this spring.
“Definitely the cost is a lot lower than going out of state or to some of the bigger schools,” Prevost said.
Financially eligible Butler County residents attending BC3 @ Cranberry could also receive a maximum of $7,395 in a federal Pell grant and of $2,568 in a Pennsylvania state grant in the 2023-2024 academic year, said Juli Louttit, the college’s director of financial aid.
The BC3 Education Foundation in the 2023-2024 academic year had available a record 155 scholarships that ranged in amounts from $300 to $5,000, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, development coordinator with the BC3 Education Foundation.
Students registered for fall 2024 academic courses can apply online for a scholarship from the BC3 Education Foundation beginning April 15.
Prevost, a graduate of Eden Christian Academy in Wexford, expects to graduate debt-free from BC3 @ Cranberry in 2026 and plans to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
He looks forward to a future of “travel, implementing policy, developing relationships with people who interest me, and vice-versa,” Prevost said. “Powerful people. And actually having an impact.”
BC3’s credits can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities. Students in BC3’s career programs can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.
BC3 has been ranked as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania nine times since 2015, most recently for 2024 by BestColleges.com.
The college’s summer session begins May 13 and its fall semester, Aug. 26.
