Outgoing Student Association president credits EOP with his undergraduate success
Khaleel James ‘21 has left his mark on Binghamton University just as strongly as Binghamton University left its mark on him.
James was born and raised in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., and came to Binghamton in the summer before his undergraduate career started for the Educational Opportunity Program’s (EOP) Binghamton Enrichment Program (BEP). The experience inspired in him a drive to excel at Binghamton.
“I did everything they offered me,” he said. “I did what they advised me to do to better myself because I trusted them. They had already seen so many students come through college that I trusted that they knew more than I did.”
James credits everyone in the EOP program for pushing him to be involved in campus life. During his undergraduate career he served as a resident assistant in Mountainview College, a brother in the Mu Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and as the vice president of multicultural affairs then as president of the Student Association (SA).
As SA president, James acted as a role model and voice for all students at Binghamton. Following a condensed and stressful fall 2020 semester with no breaks, James recognized a need for students to have time away from their draining online class schedules. He worked with University administrators to implement the Rejuvenation Days that were added to the academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester, ensuring students got needed breaks in the form of three midweek days throughout the semester, selected by students, on which no classes were held.
James earned dual degrees in human development and economics as an undergraduate. After graduation, he will pursue dual master’s degrees in public administration and systems science at Binghamton, but first he is interning at Wells Fargo this summer, excited to learn the ins and outs of the banking industry.
He hopes this experience will help him grow his start-up, Leel.Resources LLC, an investment coaching business. James plans to grow his capital, gain social media presence and expand his clientele this summer in addition to working at Wells Fargo.
In the long term, James hopes to continue fueling his entrepreneurial spirit and grow other businesses of his own.
“I came to college to be a better person and a better man,” he said. “EOP has given me that opportunity, so I will always acknowledge all that was done for me through this program.”
James plans to be an active EOP alumni after graduating with his master’s degrees, who will always give back to the program, either monetarily or through mentoring other EOP students.
His advice to incoming EOP students is simple: “You have to better understand yourself so you can better understand others. If you dedicate your four years to that, you’ll find that you’re critiquing, being critiqued and cultivating your own thoughts, and that is all very important.”