Ava Sklar '28, Psychology
October 6, 2026
Ava Sklar '28 developed Bucknell Refit, an online platform that helps students buy and sell secondhand clothes on campus. Photo by Emily Lamparter, Marketing & Communications
"I hope this helps students move clothes beyond their immediate circle without creating so much waste. I hope it becomes a community."
In March 2026, Ava Sklar '28 looked ahead to the end of the semester and saw a problem coming: She had a trunk full of clothes that wouldn't fit into her luggage for the flight home to Houston. Selling a few pieces to friends solved her immediate issue — and sparked a bigger idea.
Within a month, Sklar had created Bucknell Refit, a thrifting website that offered students across campus a way to buy and sell clothes they no longer needed.
"I had all these clothes other people might want, and other people had clothes I would want, but no way to get them to each other," says the psychology major.
The platform, inspired by apps like Poshmark and Depop, lets students list used clothing at reduced prices and upload photos and details directly from the original retailer. It's helping students save money on clothing while reducing the waste that comes with constantly buying new.
Thrifting has long been part of Sklar’s life. She estimates that about 70% of her wardrobe comes from secondhand shopping online. But turning her idea into a functioning site required her to draw on skills that she had developed through her computer science minor, which she pursued after taking a course with Professor Annie Ross, computer science.
Getting the site running took more than building it. With guidance from Erin Jablonski, director of the Perricelli‑Gegnas Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Sklar learned about tax requirements and made the platform fully operational.
After the site launched in April, students began signing up, and Sklar successfully rehomed her excess clothes before move‑out.
Over the summer, she completed a research internship with Ross studying burnout among accessibility specialists. The experience deepened her understanding of accessibility and prompted her to improve Bucknell Refit with clearer fonts, stronger color contrast and simpler navigation.
Sklar was drawn to Bucknell for its school spirit and alumni network. Now she hopes Refit will hep students connect with one another.
"I hope this helps students move clothes beyond their immediate circle without creating so much waste," she says. "I hope it becomes a community."