Meet Brandon James. Brandon is a senior biology major at Delaware Valley University and has enjoyed just about every minute of being on campus. He knew DelVal was the school for him before he even got here.

“What really attracted me to DelVal was the small class sizes and the overall feel of the campus,” James said. “It really felt like a warm community, where I knew I’d be safe and welcome”.  

As part of the E360 program, James completed both DelVal Experience I and II as a freshman and found it to be helpful in getting him adjusted to the university and in offering guidance and great tips and tricks for interviewing and building his resume.  In addition, his DelVal Experience class helped him take steps toward landing his first internship. 

As a biology major, James was interested in doing Independent Student Research projects in order to gain valuable experience in his field. “My E360 experience allowed me to get exposure to techniques that I wouldn’t have been able to learn in the classroom because of how research intensive it is.”

Some of the experience that James gained in his E360 experiences involved studying photosynthesis in plants and how global warming affects stress on plants possibly leading to extinction of certain species.  He also measured growth rates of cervical cancer cells in a laboratory and conducted important research regarding genetic editing.  Because DelVal offered James this lab experience through E360, he received a fellowship at Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, Maine, during the Summer of 2021.  This experience not only furthered his knowledge and education, it also gave James the opportunity to broaden his network and meet professionals in his field. 

When asked what his views overall on the E360 program, James didn’t hesitate. “What’s really awesome about E360 is that I got credit for learning new techniques and getting experience in my field of Biology before I graduate.”

If that’s not a ringing endorsement of E360, I don’t know what is!

Written by: Brian Saglimben