Great Kids: QU Accounting students help people file their taxes

HAMDEN, CT (WFSB) - It’s tax season, and a group of Quinnipiac students learned how to help others while putting their classroom knowledge on display.

Along with their studies, students like senior Ryan Flynn also balanced working.

“Basically, I’m here to help taxpayers to get their taxes done,” Flynn said.

The Quinnipiac University accounting major works to help a group of people in Hamden at no cost to prep and file their taxes this year.

Owenea Roberts was also a senior accounting major.

“It’s basically a lab for taxes,” Roberts said. “He made sure we do everything correctly. He reviewed everything.”

“He” referred to Accounting and Tax Professor Matthew Maron.

He has been mobilizing his students like this for the last decade.

This work was called volunteer income tax assistance program or VITA for short.

“In essence we are preparing tax returns free of charge for low-income taxpayers,” Maron said. “It’s a great program.”

The students met from noon to 5 p.m. every Friday except for good Friday up until the end of tax season.

“I can’t tell you how many times students prepared a tax return and said, ‘I just felt so good,’” Maron said.

Professor Maron said that turnout had been steady this year.

The accounting department had been doing this for about a decade to teach students the importance of their work in the classroom.

“This was the most hands-on experience that you are going to get because you are preparing them,” Flynn said.

This program was also important to teach the impact of giving back to the community.

“I grew up valuing community service,” Roberts said. “It’s good to give back. It reminds everyone of where they came from.”

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