CLARKSVILLE, TN − When Raul Villasenor, a sophomore accounting student at Austin Peay State University (APSU), headed to his advisor’s office last semester, he expected a difficult conversation about wanting to change his major.

Instead, he discovered the APSU College of Business’s partnership with the Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) program and is now using his skillset to provide free tax preparation services through Dr. Jennifer Thayer’s tax practicum class.

“I want to go into a field where I can help people, and before VITA I felt like I was just working behind the scenes,” Villasenor said. “I feel like I can really make a difference through this program, and now I want to stay in accounting to keep helping people with their taxes. Wherever I go, that’s something there’s always an opportunity for.”

VITA is open to households that made less than $70,000 in 2024. APSU’s volunteers began preparing returns in the first week of February and will continue through April 1, while the program itself will end on April 15.

“Taxpayers just go online to getyourrefund.org, create an account, and upload their documentation,” Thayer said. “Then we receive their information and students will call, go over everything with them, and prepare their tax return. The return goes through a quality review process – that’s what [graduate assistant Brianna Jeffries] and I do – and then they get everything done virtually. They don’t have to make an appointment or go anywhere.”

Students completed a program called Link & Learn Taxes over winter break to prepare for tax season and earn their IRS certifications. The process covered ethics training, simulated tax returns, and quality assurance training.

“I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and it’s hard for me to make mistakes and learn from them,” senior agriculture major Carolina Hudson said. “Having people behind me providing quality assurance helps a lot with my anxiety, and I know when I get into the workforce, I’m going to be more confident and prepared because I had this experience.”

Hudson plans to go to law school after her graduation to become an estate planner and wanted to learn more about filing taxes to diversify her skillset.

“Learning how to handle people is what I’m taking away from this the most,” she said. “You need to have customer service skills because it can be difficult to call someone who doesn’t know what I’m asking them for when I need specific forms. Being able to interact well with people in those situations is very important.”

Thayer said soft communication skills are a core component of the class, and her son Cambridge is among the students benefiting from the experience.

“I’ve been homeschooled my whole life, and talking to people isn’t really my strong suit,” said Cambridge, a dual enrollment student who plans to attend APSU in the fall. “Sometimes talking to my own family on the phone is hard, so being able to make all these phone calls is helping me a lot.”

Students interested in signing up for ACCT 4311 – Tax Practicum can speak with their academic advisor and contact Thayer at thayerj@apsu.edu. The course is offered every spring semester.