Butler County Community College students from Armstrong, Butler, Clearfield, Elk, Lawrence and Mercer counties are the newest members of the college’s chapters of international honor societies.

Sixteen of the 22 BC3 students have joined Rho Phi, BC3’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs.

Six are new members of Delta Kappa, the college’s chapter of Kappa Beta Delta, an international honor society for business programs.

New members of each society must have a grade-point average of at least 3.5.

Six of the international honor society students have also received a scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year from the BC3 Education Foundation, and six a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Students who have completed at least 12 credit hours toward an associate degree or six credit hours toward a one-year certificate and who meet academic requirements are eligible for membership in Rho Phi, established at BC3 in 1968.

Students who have completed at least 12 credit hours in BC3’s business division, who are pursuing an associate degree in a business program and who meet academic requirements are eligible for membership in Delta Kappa, formed at BC3 in 2019.

The newest members of Rho Phi from Butler County are Zeta Achezinski, Butler, business administration; Maxwell Carpenter, Cranberry Township, psychology; Sabrina Cox, Bruin, business management; Danielle Duddy, Slippery Rock, early childhood education (pre K-4); and Cody Eckhardt, Butler, health care science.

Additional Butler County residents who have joined Rho Phi are Derek McLafferty, Butler, communications; Yumiko Kuo, Cabot, graphic design; Ireland O’Donnell, Chicora, business administration; Daisy Snow, Mars, health care science; and Paige Spencer, Sarver, business administration.

Achezinski, Kuo and Spencer were awarded scholarships from the BC3 Education Foundation.

Achezinski received the $750 Ray ’86 and Kay Steffler Family Scholarship and the Susan E. Andre ’70 Scholarships totaling $2,045; Kuo, the $800 Rose Family Graphic Design Scholarship; and Spencer, the $1,905 Robinson Fans Scholarship.

The newest members of Rho Phi from Lawrence County are Olivia Rich, New Castle, early childhood education (pre K-4); and Terri Spence, New Castle, health care science; and from Clearfield County, Justin Bales, Clearfield, Nursing, R.N.; and Gabrielle Decker, DuBois, psychology.

The newest member of Rho Phi from Armstrong County is Jesica Lookhart, Worthington, health care science; and from Mercer County, Jessica Linton, Greenville, business administration.

Linton received the $500 Mary Beth Rock ’05 Scholarship from the BC3 Education Foundation.

Butler County residents who have joined Delta Kappa are Erin Conliffe, Butler, computer information systems-website development specialist; Isaak Estes, Renfrew, and Ethan Huffman, Butler, computer information systems-networking and cybersecurity; and Justin Kludo, Evans City, computer science.

The newest member of Delta Kappa from Elk County is Matthew Gagliardi, Ridgway, computer information systems-programming specialist; and from Mercer County, Steven Proctor, Sharpsville, computer information systems-website development specialist.

BC3 students enrolled in programs that emphasize cybersecurity education are eligible for U.S. Department of Defense-funded grants. Conliffe, Estes, Gagliardi, Huffman, Kludo and Proctor received grants averaging $760 in the fall semester.

Huffman and Gagliardi were also awarded scholarships from the BC3 Education Foundation.

Huffman received the $565 Diane R. ’81 & Gordon L. Marburger Scholarship and the $500 Thomas M. Ward Memorial Scholarship; and Gagliardi, the $420 R. & M. Huselton Scholarship.

Achezinski is also a president’s scholar.

BC3’s president’s scholars program includes a full-tuition waiver for up to 18 credits each semester. It is available to students in the Top 10 percent of their graduating class and who have achieved at least a 3.5 grade-point average at any of Butler County’s public high schools. Students must also be residents of Butler County.

A cyber school student counted in those public schools’ graduating classes is also eligible. Students must also enroll at BC3 in the first semester following their high school graduation to be eligible for the program, and are required to take scholars-only courses and maintain at least a 3.5 grade-point average at BC3.

Bill Foley is coordinator of news and media content at Butler County Community College.