BUTLER TWP — When Chris Noullet was laid off from his computer operations job, going back to school and getting a degree sounded like a good idea.

Three years later he walked down the aisle with four associate's degrees. In August, he will earn a fifth degree. That is something Butler County Community College officials say has never happened there.

Noullet, 35, of Butler was one of 250 students who participated in Thursday's graduation ceremonies at the college's Field House.

His wife, Bekah Noullet, was another. Both made sacrifices to flip their tassels at graduation.

Chris Noullet cautioned that the college is not a diploma mill, but it took large credit-loads and nights with little sleep to earn degrees in math, electronics, metrology, secondary education and nanofabrication.

"He proved it. It can be done," his wife said.

Chris Noullet graduated from Butler High School in 1989. He started at BC3, but in two years he failed out and gave up. A self-proclaimed "slacker" in those years, he said he didn't put the effort into school that was required.

So, he shifted from jobs at Eat 'n Park to a stint at Wal-Mart. Then, he thought he had a stab at a career when he got a job at a firm in Evans City in computers. But he was lost when he was laid off and had a wife and child to support.

Bekah Noullet decided to be the "breadwinner" of the family and let her husband go back to school full time. She works at the Clearview Mall Cinemas. She also started classes at the college in early childhood education, inspired by her son, Orion.

Orion, now 6, was diagnosed with autism at 6 months. His mother noticed the signs at 3 months and has been working with him since.

Even now that he started school, both parents spend time tutoring him. Chris Noullet credits his wife's work for Orion's high-functioning status.

Chris Noullet started school seeking a degree in metrology, the study of measurements, because of the high demand for workers with those skills.

When he realized his enjoyment of electronics, he added a second major. Then teachers such as Denton Dailey and David Schiebel, both associate professors of natural science and technology, inspired him to teach.

"I think he just liked the idea of teaching," Dailey said. So, he let Noullet lead the class a few times, he said.

Those professors and others also helped him through the tough times, he said.

"You definitely can't do it yourself," Noullet said.

His credit loads got so large, 26 hours at times, that he had to get special permission to take all of them.

"I was always sending him over to the vice president to get permission," Dailey said.

He took classes in the summer and scheduled classroom observations for spring break.

Meanwhile, Bekah Noullet was working hard on her degree. She is in the state's Act 101 program, a support system for students whose cultural, economical or educational disadvantages might impede their chance at a higher education degree.

She overcame learning disabilities after hearing from those outside the college that she would never make it.

They did it though. Both graduated with honors — Chris Noullet found out not long before graduation that he earned summa cum laude — and they are members of the college's honor society, Phi Theta Kappa.

More than 400 students earned degrees from BC3 this spring. President Cynthia Azari told the crowd Thursday night that the graduates ranged from 19 years old to 61 years, included people with multiple degrees and also another married couple.

Kenneth 'Chris' Jones, a 1990 graduate from the nursing program, was a featured speaker at the ceremonies. He works in the critical care unit of Butler Memorial Hospital.

He reminded the graduates to keep true to values such as respect and hard work, before wishing them the best on the next step of their journey.

Chris Noullet's journey continues to Penn State next week, where he will take the final required courses for his nanofabrication degree.

The couple has a master plan beyond that, though.

Chris Noullet is considering Youngstown State University in Ohio and California (Pa.) University to transfer credits to and earn a bachelor's degree. Then he would like to tack on a master's before teaching at a college, maybe even BC3.

"He wants to teach. That's his desire," Bekah Noullet said.

She is going to start a day care program for infants and toddlers that will support individual needs. In the second phase of her plan, she wants to start a program for preschool aged students that involves the same staff members.

"It's going to happen," she said. She plans to get grants to help her plans get off the ground.

Their reward for their work before moving on to the next step: "We'll be sleeping in," Bekah Noullet said.