Hawai‘i Community College accounting students earned their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) certifications this semester. From left to right are Maria Jessica Malicdem, Jorge Cisneros, Kapua Silva, Kylee Kaakimaka Paris, Shereen Tagarino, Siniva Pota (Instructor), Alexis Terlep, Philomena Scherling and Dylan Sofia Lee.
By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– Hawai‘i Community College accounting students applied their classroom learning in the community by volunteering to help residents with tax preparation through a collaboration with Goodwill Industries of Hawai‘i.
“The best part about the entire experience was just being able to help people complete their returns and seeing the gratitude they show towards you,” said Hawai‘i Community College student Dylan Sofia Lee. “It’s incredible. This was definitely the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in any class.”
The students who volunteered are enrolled in Accounting 134, a class taught by accounting lecturer Siniva Pota. The class teaches the preparation of federal and State of Hawai’i individual income tax returns with an emphasis on tax law and regulations and their applications to tax returns.
The volunteer experience was an opportunity to promote community-giving and servant leadership while giving Hawai‘i CC students real-world experience.
“These students exhibited a remarkable level of professionalism and dedication in preparing quality tax returns that enhance the standard of living for those who may not be able to afford the high cost of tax return preparations,” said Raymond Saludares, Assistant Director of Career Services at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii.
Prior to volunteering at Goodwill in Hilo, the students earned their tax preparer certifications through the Internal Revenue Services Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The VITA program focuses on providing high-quality, accurate, tax returns for low- to moderate-income families and individuals across the United States at no cost.
The accounting class is offered in the Business Education and Technology Division at Hawai‘i CC. The division offers associate degrees and certificates in four academic majors: Accounting, Business Technology, Information Technology, and Marketing.