As part of a summer business course, Cedar Crest graduate students collaborated with a Lehigh Valley nonprofit to help and empower victims of sex trafficking.
This summer, a class of 15 Cedar Crest College graduate students partnered with a volunteer-based nonprofit called Bloom that seeks to provide assistance to victims of sex trafficking in the Lehigh Valley. The class, made up of students in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Modular Master of Science (MMS) programs, served as a consulting group for the organization.
According to TruthForWomen.org, “Bloom offers sanctuary and a continuum of care to heal, empower and employ women survivors of sex trafficking. Bloom empowers women to heal and create a new future through its 24-hour care emergency stabilization home, its two-year residential program and its independent living housing.”
Taught by Assistant Professor of Business Michael Zalot, Ph.D., the course tasked students with providing recommendations to improve the marketing and operational efficiency of the organization’s retail locations, My Sister’s Closet in Bethlehem, PA, and Bloom Creative Studio in Bangor, PA. The class split into two teams, each providing consulting input for one of Bloom’s operations with the goal of generating new ideas, capturing new markets and enhancing the effectiveness of the organization.
“Our students got first-hand experience serving as consultants in marketing and operations and, at the same time, gave back to the local community,” says Zalot.
MBA student Adena Mertz, G ’22, led the team that worked with My Sister’s Closet, a boutique resale shop and a revenue generator for Bloom. The team of students visited the store, learned about its operations and worked together to generate recommendations. “We felt honored to work with [My Sister’s Closet] because they are doing great things for the community to support the victims of sex trafficking in the Lehigh Valley,” says Mertz. “We were grateful to the MSC leadership who provided so much intel and data that allowed us to refine our recommendations.”
Mertz’s team had the chance to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world situations while also benefitting My Sister’s Closet and the mission of Bloom. As team captain, Mertz learned about delegating responsibilities and utilizing her team members’ strengths to achieve the group’s goals.
Led by Daria Warner ’21, G ’22, the second group of students assisted Bloom Creative Studio, which serves as a “supportive workplace for women leaving lives of addiction and violence” (BloomBangor.org). The studio offers art classes, parties and events for the public and sells handcrafted items in its gift shop.
The students worked together to provide the studio recommendations focused on inventory management, marketing, community engagement, fundraising and potential synergies with My Sister’s Closet. The team’s goals were to increase awareness of Bloom’s mission and maximize the nonprofit’s revenue to support organizational goals.
“Bloom Creative Studio is mission-driven, and we [knew] that people would donate and support them if they knew about their mission and heard the passion and care from the people who work and volunteer there,” explains Warner. “Something I learned through the experience was how underfunded some nonprofits are, even though they do amazing work.”
The experience solidified Warner’s interest in pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector. “I also had an internship over the summer at a nonprofit, and I love how they are so mission-driven and people-centric,” she says.
At the end of the experience, each team of students provided in-depth written recommendations as well as a formal online presentation to Bloom. Not only did the students conclude the course with an impressive project to add to their graduate portfolios, but they gained valuable experience working as a team and leveraged their MBA and MMS knowledge to serve the local community.
“This kind of hands-on opportunity serves as a valuable experience in analyzing operations and marketing strategy for an actual client, allowing students to both integrate and leverage their skillsets. Real-world experiences are the best preparation for the unpredictable demands of real-world events and organizations,” concludes Zalot.
Learn more about Cedar Crest’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Modular Master of Science (MMS) programs.