Socorro Independent School District students in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program gained valuable work experience preparing taxes for community members and learned a valuable lesson about giving back during this last tax season.
High school students in SISD’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses volunteered with GECU’s VITA program from February to April 2024 to offer free basic tax help.
Students such as Yanely Sepulveda, a Mission Early College High School junior, received special training and certification to process tax returns.
At their tax clinic on campus, the students worked as greeters, income tax preparers, and reviewers, honing their customer service and communication skills in both English and Spanish.
"I've always loved volunteering," said Sepulveda, who has been with the VITA program for three years. "I thought this was a perfect opportunity to volunteer and, at the same time, get experience. I've been looking into things like accounting, so any connections to financial stuff would be helpful with the path I want to take in life."
Services were offered at the district’s six comprehensive high schools and Mission Early College, offering community members convenient access to assistance with filing their 1040EZ, 1040A, and 1040 forms.
Mission Valley resident Sara Molina and her husband learned about the tax clinic at Mission Early College after searching for free tax services on Google.
“I’m impressed with the kids,” Molina said. “It’s really nice to see younger kids get involved in all this. I usually see older people doing this, but here, especially in high school, it’s awesome.”
Lorena Dorantes, CTE business teacher, said about 20 Mission Early College students volunteered with VITA this year. Students were supervised by faculty members who had also undergone tax preparation training.
Dorantes said the program provided students with an opportunity to explore a career in finance or accounting and decide if it was suitable for them. It also allowed the community to see how responsible and dedicated the students can be when completing a task.
“I think it builds a different kind of relationship with teenagers and the community, and I think they have an opportunity to see our teenagers in such a professional manner,” Dorantes said. “They're amazing. They're so professional. They do what they have to do. They come to me when they have some questions, but they're the ones that are running it.”
Miguel Solano's parents encouraged him to volunteer for the program. Solano, a freshman at Mission Early College, said he was initially a little scared about preparing other people's taxes, but the training he received helped to build his confidence. He also said that the experience would look great on his resume.
“It can be (intimidating), but once you know what you're doing after the training, once you get certified, it's pretty easy,” Solano said.