At first glance, 22-year-old Corina Sanchez looks like any ordinary college student, her face glued to her phone, texting while she patiently waits for her train ride. However, looks can be deceiving: the young woman's not going to school, she's on an errand for her newly-started business.

“I am going to this mobile [phone] shop next to the San Pedro Street station,” she said, explaining that she's visiting a mobile phone vendor for business networking

Sanchez started her journey on the Blue Line this morning at the Anaheim Street station. The Metro is  transportation mode of choice, and she uses it to get everywhere she wants to go. 

Sanchez is reluctant to talk about negative experiences on the trains, but things get more interesting when a passenger smelling strongly of alcohol started getting loud and verbally abusive to other passengers. As soon as he got off the train, Sanchez shook her head disapprovingly.

“The things they do when they get high,” she vents. “You get used to it though.” Despite such incidents, she prefers to travel by train more than by bus because the commute is faster.

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Time is money for the budding entrepreneur, who has recently started trading in mobile phones, gaming devices, accessories, and shoes. She purchases second-hand items in Los Angeles at a cheap rate. During the weekend, she goes to her native Mexico and sells them over there.

“If business is good, I sell 20 phones in one weekend," she said. "Otherwise, 15, maybe 10.”

It all started during one weekend when she and her husband were in Mexico, and a woman approached them interested in buying their phones for an attractive price. Impressed by how profitable the transaction was, Sanchez decided to start trading professionally.

Since she doesn't own a car, Sanchez is dependent on the Metro to source merchandise and meet with suppliers. This is a problem sometimes, as she admits that the trains are not reliable or punctual enough.

“Two times, I got late to my work,” she fumed.

It is indeed an obstacle for someone who heavily relies on networking for a living.

“I post messages in Facebook groups and ask people if they want to sell their phones,” she says, elaborating about the ins and outs of her business. When met with interest, she takes the metro to go see sellers in person and purchase their used devices.

She is still mastering her trading skills and discovering different avenues to acquire the best deals. The Metro comes in handy for her again in this regard, but in a different perspective. She does not hesitate to ask her fellow passengers for help on how to use new technologies, and with their help, she's recently matstered eBay.

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