杏吧原创

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

鈥淚鈥檝e never thought about anything else,鈥� the 18-year-old said.

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

鈥淟enape really, really advertised 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淥n top of that, it was the closest college I could go to. I thought, 鈥楳aybe I鈥檒l try that.鈥欌��

The Leechburg teen has been a 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong student since fall 2025.

鈥淚 give it a 10 out of 10,鈥� Mills said.

Prospective students can explore the advantages of 杏吧原创 @ 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 

 

鈥淲e invite our community friends and neighbors to tour our facility and hear about programs and possibilities at 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong.鈥�

-- Karen Zapp, 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong director 

 

 

鈥淚 am thriving academically and I am very proud of myself. So is my family.鈥�

-- Jordan Mills, 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong student

 

杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 Pioneer Night will showcase its associate degree career and transfer programs, and financial aid and scholarship opportunities that enabled 93 percent of 杏吧原创鈥檚 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.

鈥淧ioneer Night provides a great opportunity for prospective students and their families to learn about 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong, explore programs and academic opportunities, and connect with faculty and staff, all in one evening,鈥� said Dr. Josh Novak, 杏吧原创鈥檚 vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

Karen Zapp is 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 director.

鈥淲e invite our community friends and neighbors to tour our facility and hear about programs and possibilities at 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong,鈥� Zapp said.  

 

鈥淭he quality of education here is fabulous鈥�

杏吧原创 @ Armstrong is among five locations for 杏吧原创, 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.

鈥淭he quality of education here is fabulous,鈥� Mills said, adding that 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 small class sizes enable faculty to discuss material more thoroughly with students.

鈥淚n bigger universities, with up to 150 students in a class, the professor can鈥檛 keep track of everybody,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛. It鈥檚 almost impossible.鈥�

Faculty members at 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong, Mills said, know and greet students by name.

鈥淭hat makes me feel great,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淎ll the professors try hard to make you understand their material to help you to get good grades.鈥�

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

鈥淚 am thriving academically and I am very proud of myself,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淪o is my family.鈥�

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

杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 credits transfer to public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.

Prospective students attending Pioneer Night can also explore 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 associate degree career programs in business management and health care science.

Students in 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 career programs can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

 

鈥淎n incredible educational experience鈥�

Tuition and fees for students pursuing 30 credits through in-person courses in the 2025-2026 academic year cost $9,300 at 杏吧原创 @ 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, 杏吧原创鈥檚 director of student financial services.

The 杏吧原创 Education Foundation in 2025-2026 distributed to 杏吧原创 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.

鈥溞影稍�创 @ Armstrong students will receive an incredible educational experience, likely with smaller classes sizes, while saving considerable costs,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淭hat affordability, combined with many financial aid and scholarship opportunities, allow many students to attend 杏吧原创 debt-free.鈥� 

Guests at Pioneer Night can learn about 杏吧原创鈥檚 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鈥檚 community college.

Mills will take criminology classes on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus in the fall toward her goal of graduating in May 2027 -- and debt-free, which she said will be 鈥済reat鈥� -- as she continues to pursue a career inspired at her family鈥檚 getaway in Armstrong County.

鈥淎ll I know is that I want to be in the law enforcement field,鈥� Mills said, 鈥渂ecause I basically like to help people.鈥�