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Name:
Eric Klepinger
Residence:
Logansport, Indiana
Graduation Year:
2004
Major:
Criminal Justice
Minor:
Psychology
Why did you choose SJC?
I wanted to attend a smaller school with a community-like
atmosphere, and at Saint Joseph's College, I liked the idea of having constant
interaction with my professors. One of my biggest concerns entering college
was not being able to receive academic assistance outside of class, so I
was glad to hear I would have that personal attention from the professors
themselves and not from teaching assistants. I had the opportunity to meet
several faculty members on my campus visit and thought they were very friendly
and down-to-earth. I also thought the Core Program was excellent - by spreading
out my major, minor, and required courses throughout my four years on campus,
I could be acclimated to my fields of study immediately. As a student, what were you involved in?
I was the President of the Criminal Justice Club,
a Freshman Leader, and member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Delta Epsilon
Sigma honor societies. I also had two internships. The summer after my
freshman year, I worked with the North Central Juvenile Correctional Facility
in Logansport, Indiana, where I observed psychological sessions to get a
feel for how such sessions are run. After my junior year, I interned for
Bingham and McHale, Attorneys at Law in Indianapolis, Indiana, the fourth
largest firm in the state. I actually heard about the internship opportunity
at Bingham and McHale through an SJC alumnus and worked under two other
alumni, conducting research for attorneys in the firm's law library in order
to find pertinent information for cases they were working on. I received
formal training on several major research databases that I'll need to be
familiar with in graduate school, so it was a very good internship for me.
What are you doing now?
I'm working towards my master's degree in Criminology at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, where I received an assistantship and full-tuition scholarship. After graduation, I plan on going to law school.
How did SJC prepare you for the "real world"?
SJC helped me prepare for every aspect of my future. Before coming here, I was a
fairly quiet young man without a lot of aspirations. Being on a small campus and
getting to know not only my peers but also the faculty on a first-name basis
gave me the confidence that I needed to ask questions, open up to others, and
find my direction. Because of the internships I participated in and the
connections I made with alumni working in my field of interest, I received a
head start on my career, and many doors opened to me that might have been closed
if I'd gone to another institution. The Core Program exposed me to a great deal
of diversity, and I became more respectful when dealing with others and their
opinions. I also had the chance to make friendships that will last me a
lifetime. I believe that Saint Joseph's College allowed me to grow over the past
four years, providing me with the tools to continue to grow and expand my potential.
