How Jack Beerman (Miami University, Class of ‘23) Lives Out His Vocation

By Amy Payne

What if college students put a great deal of prayer and forethought into preparing for a career? What if they had deep and transformational conversations that guided their investment of time and energy? And what if their faith was at the forefront of these intentional steps into their futures? 

For Jack Beerman, this is exactly what his college experience looked like, thanks to Miami University’s Center for L.I.F.E. (Leading the Integration of Faith and Entrepreneurship). 

“I was dead set on flying,” said Jack, who came to Miami University from Mississippi. “My father was a pilot in the Air Force. So I was like, I’m going to be a pilot as well. And that’s what I came in to do.”

While pursuing a degree in computer science, Jack was minoring in entrepreneurship and joined L.I.F.E. in his junior year. 

“I was still tracking for a rated slot”, he said. “I was actually picked up for pilot school. And throughout L.I.F.E., we started having conversations on work balance, what that looks like, and how we’re really living out our faith.”

As he began reading with his L.I.F.E. classmates and discussing the idea of vocation, Jack’s vision of what he wanted for his life began to shift. 

“For the pilot… that’s a big toll on the family,” he said. “And so some of the conversations were, what does that look like for the family unit? You know, how does my faith actually play out in each role of what I’m doing and how I’m able to bring my faith into these roles?”

The L.I.F.E. class helped Jack and his classmates think through the design of their futures. What could it look like to work faithfully in their fields? And would there be room for a family and commitments to faith-related service?

“We had different content from a variety of resources on examples of what does it look like to rest because of your faith? You know, rest from your work. How do you build out a vision for your work that is based upon your faith?” The class was unlike any other, he said. 

“It was very reflective,” Jack recalled. Instead of memorizing facts or doing calculations, the homework dealt with the big questions – “What’s going on in your life? And where are you going?”  

One of the key components of the class was the opportunity to hear from L.I.F.E. alumni and others working out their faith in the business world. Jack said it was incredibly helpful to hear from them about their mistakes, successes, and how faith was guiding them in their careers. 

“This class is one of the most personal classes that you will take at the university. And that really builds out your character and who you are as a person more than anything else,” Jack said. 

That self-examination set Jack on a slightly different path. 

“The Lord at that time was aligning different opportunities in my life where I was asked, ‘Hey, Instead of Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), do you want to do something more with your degree of computer science?’ And so I started considering it,” he said. “And then from my conversations with classmates and people at L.I.F.E., I was like, maybe I want to pivot away from pilot and what my dad did, and kind of forge my own path with what the Lord’s provided and the skill set that He’s given me.”

Bringing L.I.F.E. to the University of Virginia

Through the Air Force ROTC, Jack applied for a special program where he could pursue a doctorate in data science. He was selected, and just graduated this spring from the University of Virginia with his Ph.D. He’s been building the skills to work in artificial intelligence – and also thinking through the foundations of this new frontier. 

“If I play a role in designing these advanced systems, one of my greatest concerns is ensuring that artificial intelligence remains transparent and credible, reflecting the same honesty and moral responsibility we hope to see in people acting in good faith.”

Jack said he understands the fear of A.I., and he reminds friends that “we have security elsewhere.” 

“Regardless of what may happen, let’s loop it back into our faith,” he said. “We’re not meant to be on this earth forever.”

During his time at UVA, Jack took his experience in L.I.F.E. and extended it to his local church, helping launch a young adult ministry. It now averages 70 attendees every week. 

“We built the ministry on core values we call PACT – purpose, authenticity, community, and truth,” Jack said. Just as L.I.F.E. did for him, this group meets young adults at that defining moment when they are considering their trajectories toward work, faith, and family. 

He said the group looks at “how do we actually make your faith tangible in every aspect and not just here on a Sunday, but actually move and elevate you into places where you’re utilizing your faith.”

“During my time at Miami, I was mostly going to just church on a Sunday, if going to church at all,” Jack said. “But L.I.F.E. was like, are you going to actually make this real? Are you actually living out what you believe in? And if not, that’s okay, but how do we get to a point if you’re really confessing, X or Y is my faith, how do we actually build that out into what you’re doing?”

A Transformative Alumni Network

Now several years out from Miami, Jack continues to draw support from fellow L.I.F.E. alumni. He is active in a group of about 20 who meet virtually once a month. It’s a valuable way to build new connections, read challenging books, and keep discussing how to integrate faith into work. 

Jack encourages L.I.F.E. donors to interact with students as often as possible – they need to see your example and learn what you’ve learned. 

“Your experience can make a massive impact for those sstudents, because they see you living out your own faith,” he said. 

And the returns are evident – in lives like his and in the alumni network. 

“We are already close-knit because of the foundation that has been laid, because of the resources poured into L.I.F.E.,” he said. “So now I’m able to connect with somebody across the States that I’ve never met in person, because of what L.I.F.E. has established.”