A&M-Victoria student helps community navigate tax season
Sophomore accounting major Joseph Torres didn’t come to college looking for the easiest path. Instead, the San Antonio native chose to put himself directly in the middle of one of the most detailed-oriented services a business student can offer: helping people file their taxes.
The deadline for filing federal individual income tax returns is set for this Wednesday, April 15. Since February, Torres has been a student volunteer for Texas A&M University-Victoria’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, a program designed to support eligible residents in Victoria with their federal income tax returns. The program helped those who met certain income criteria file their tax returns at no cost.
“If I’m going to go into the accounting field, I might as well see what it’s like doing the taxes, even if it’s on a smaller scale,” Torres said. “It’s a good way for me to see if I like this field and should stick with it.”
In addition to seeing the realities of the profession up close, Torres said he also experienced the pressure of accuracy, as well as the responsibilities that come with handling sensitive financial information.
“Joseph is one of our volunteers who consistently shows up prepared and treats every taxpayer with respect and takes his responsibility very seriously,” said Xiaobo Dong, A&M-Victoria associate professor of accounting. “I am very proud of him for taking the initiative. It shows real growth and experience.”
His time as a volunteer for VITA quickly taught him that no two tax returns are alike, he said. Each client brings a unique combination of circumstances, and that variety has been one of the most educational aspects of his volunteer work, Torres said.
Through his volunteer work, Torres said he gained experience in both investments and working with different types of income, such as stock holdings that require specific forms and filing approaches. The case-by-case nature of the work has helped him develop a more flexible, analytical mindset, he said. For him, the best part is seeing his work have a direct impact on the people he serves.
“I’m more about making sure everything is the best it could possibly be,” Torres said. “So it reduces the amount of redundancy and the wasted time.”
With approximately two more years at A&M-Victoria, looking ahead Torres plans to earn his certified public accountant license after he graduates. He also plans to continue using opportunities like VITA to strengthen both his technical skills and his professional network with faculty and practitioners who have experience in the tax and accounting fields to help guide his next steps.
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.