Police academy bound
11/13/2024
A wide receiver for the Beavers, Ethan Beringer completed his internship this fall and took classes toward a master's of social work.
future officer finds Social work studies complement criminal justice degree
Ethan Beringer ’24 MSW ’27 from Carey, Ohio, has interned at Hancock County Adult Probation in Findlay, Ohio, since May. Beringer plans to put the skills he has learned from this internship to the test and enroll in the police academy in January.
Throughout his internship, Beringer supported the court in a variety of ways, including conducting legal research, drafting case summaries and assisting with the preparation of court documents. Beringer is able to sit in on hearings at the courthouse, which he says has helped him build relationships with the judges and law enforcement officers. Beringer says he has been able to use the knowledge he has learned in his MSW coursework to talk to defendants and understand what they are going through.
“This internship helped me understand the field of criminal justice person-to-person,” said Beringer. “At Bluffton, I learned a lot of knowledge through the coursework but now I am able to apply the knowledge and skills I learned to my everyday work.”
Beringer says having smaller class sizes at Bluffton helped him succeed. Beringer has been able to build connections with his all his professors, but especially Michael Barrett, assistant professor of criminal justice, and Kelley VanGilder, assistant professor of social work.
“My professors are very good about building relationships with their students,” said Beringer. “Not only do they want you to succeed while you are in college, but they want to set you up for success after you graduate.”
Along with completing his internship and MSW course work, Beringer is a wide receiver for the Beaver football team. Beringer has more than 1,000 career receiving yards and is second all time for touchdown receptions.
After completing policy academy training, Beringer plans to start working as a police officer while he finishes earning his MSW. He hopes to eventually become a narcotics detective.
After gaining experience in the criminal justice field, Beringer would then like to become a college professor. Beringer credits his desire to become a professor to his own professors. Beringer says Barrett and VanGilder have provided him knowledge about the field of criminal justice from their own experiences working in the field.