COBE students practice project management with a purpose

For finance student Ben Sharafi, a class project recently became deeply personal. During the spring 2026 semester, his group's Supply Chain Management 435 Project Management assignment allowed him to give back to a community organization that supported him during his childhood.

The course is designed to teach students both traditional and Agile project management skills by planning and completing projects for local businesses or community organizations. While all teams engage with the community, those working with non-profits also earn a Service Learning designation on their transcript. This year, 11 student groups between two class sections partnered with businesses and community organizations including The Women and Children's Alliance, the Idaho Blues Society, and Sharafi's choice, The Closet, Inc.

"It's a student-directed, community-engaged learning experience focused on providing value to community partners," said Dan Rush, associate professor in information technology management. "To provide the most value to the community partner, the students have to effectively communicate, gather requirements and really listen and work with them as circumstances change. Then students can say they've actually done project management, and back it up with stories of their experience."

The Closet, Inc. provides free clothing and shoes to teens in need. Sharafi proposed a clothing drive for the organization because of a personal connection.

"I grew up in foster care and spent eight years in eleven different foster homes," Sharafi said. "I had a pretty rough childhood, and I remember feeling like I didn't have support. The Closet was there for me. They not only supported me with physical items, but they were adults I knew I could trust. That was very impactful, and I wanted to do something to give back."

His group set out to gather 200 articles of clothing in a month but far surpassed their goal. In just a week, they collected almost 1,000 donations, overflowing the organization's storage room. This success was partly due to the group's idea to partner with St. John's Cathedral, which helped promote the clothing drive and collect donations.

While the overwhelming community response was a huge win, it also meant Sharafi's team had to manage complex project logistics. Coordinating between multiple stakeholders, staying focused and aligning the group to meet deadlines required two months of preparation and constant communication.

"Our group didn't always see eye-to-eye on every decision, and there were certainly moments of frustration," Sharafi said. "What made the experience meaningful was our ability to come together, communicate openly, and work through challenges as a team. Ultimately, our shared commitment to giving back helped us stay focused and achieve our goals."

For Rush, seeing the passion students bring to their projects is the best part of teaching the class.

"Our students are inspiring," Rush said. "The class is an elective for all business majors, which offers a unique mix of students and has enriched every cross-functional team in ways that continue to benefit and surprise both the students and me."

When his group's project wrapped up and it was time to deliver the clothes, Sharafi found himself experiencing the impact from the other side.

"It really showed us how great the community is," Sharafi said. "Seeing people come together to support others was inspiring. It was especially meaningful to be able to take those donated items to The Closet. It was a full 180 because once, I was that kid."

Share This

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share through Email