In a fuzzy, cream-colored sweater and a trendy denim skirt, Allissa Valenzuela’s eyes light up as she talks about Poshmark.
Valenzuela, an economics sophomore, beamed saying that she scored her American Apparel sweater and Free People skirt on Poshmark for a fraction of their original prices. Poshmark, an app founded in 2011, allows anyone to buy or sell clothes and accessories from the comfort of home.
Valenzuela stumbled upon the company’s campus ambassador program last summer through an Instagram ad. She was recently recognized for her outstanding achievements as a representative and awarded $500 to be donated to an organization of her choice. Valenzuela chose Arizona Mentor Society, an ASU organization which volunteers at a local elementary school.
Arizona Mentor Society meets weekly with students at Thew Elementary in Tempe, where it conducts academic projects and gives advice to young kids. Its goal is to increase the number of students continuing their education to high school and college, as well as to reduce dropout rates.
Valenzuela said she has volunteered at the school, where her mom works, since she was in middle school.
“I just really enjoy what we do, and I think it makes a really big impact in the community,” she said. “It’s really important for those kids to have adults in their life that care about them.”
Alec Sanchez, the president of ASU’s Arizona Mentor Society and a junior studying biochemistry, said he was surprised to be receiving the funds.
“This is actually the first time we’ve gotten a donation,” he said.
Sanchez said that the club is planning on using the money to fund STEM-related projects with the kids.
“We want to let (the kids) know that college is something that they can do and it’s not as scary as it may seem,” he said.
The donation was made possible through Valenzuela's involvement with the Posh on Campus program. The program is a three-month endeavor “designed to give students real-life marketing experience while sharing their passion for Poshmark,” according to an email from Kelly Groves, a spokesperson for the company.
Valenzuela said she was interested in the marketing experience, but earning some extra cash while cleaning out her closet was a nice perk on the side. Her virtual closet, "Allissalicious," has over 52,000 followers on the app.
“You make a lot more money selling it on Poshmark than you usually would if you took it to Buffalo Exchange or Plato’s Closet or one of those places,” she said.
Valenzuela said the social component of the app — users can share listings and follow one another's closets — is her favorite.
