BC3 students seeking CPA careers earn $1K scholarships
Three Butler County Community College students who intend to become certified public accountants have received $1,000 scholarships from a Philadelphia-based nonprofit to recognize their academic achievements.
Jenna Frankenstein, of Zelienople, Denver Ott, of Sarver, and Peter Zulick, of Renfrew, are among five students or recent graduates of BC3’s business and information technology division to receive 2026 financial awards. The scholarships come from the Pennsylvania Certified Public Accountant Foundation, which is associated with the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs.
Their scholarships from the foundation bring the number awarded to BC3 students or recent graduates in the past three years to 12.
Frankenstein, 24, is pursuing an associate degree in accounting through the college’s virtual program. Ott and Zulick, both 19, study on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township and are seeking an associate degree in the college’s business administration program.
Ott and Zulick have achieved BC3’s president’s list twice and Frankenstein once in the past year. The recognition honors students who earn a GPA of at least 3.75 in a semester.
Frankenstein, Ott and Zulick also qualified this spring to join Rho Phi, BC3’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international academic honor society whose new members must have a minimum GPA of 3.5.
Community college students must have achieved a GPA of at least a 3.0 to be eligible for the Pennsylvania CPA Foundation’s financial award.
The foundation also selected Allison Mosley, of New Castle; and Rachel Hicks, of DuBois; to receive $1,000 scholarships. Mosley graduated cum laude in May from the virtual associate degree program in accounting that enrolls Hicks, another BC3 president’s list student, and Frankenstein.
The foundation states its mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in accounting and to provide educational, motivational and financial support to those working to attain the CPA credential.
Bill Foley is coordinator of news and media content at Butler County Community College.
Ott in the past academic year received the $1,395 Wade Snider Scouting and the $610 George W. and Judy Marburger 4H scholarships from the BC3 Education Foundation.
“I strive to be a leader in whatever environment I’m in,” he said. “Because accounting is such an integral part of business, I thought it would be a good pathway to get into that leadership that I crave and in an environment in which I want to work.”
Zulick is a 2025 graduate of Butler High. He worked part-time as an associate at a national big-box retailer during his first year at BC3.
“In thinking about my future,” Zulick said, “I want to be sure I will have a stable job, and being an accountant is one of the best there is.”
Frankenstein, Ott and Zulick expect to graduate from BC3 in May, then transfer to four-year institutions to pursue bachelor’s degrees accounting or in business administration with an accounting track.
