The CSUN Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic has been operating for over 50 years, and its impact on the local community has grown in both reputation and reach.

The program has 17 locations in the San Fernando Valley alone. VITA’s CSUN location, which is the largest in the area, had over 10,000 clients last year, ranking it the top VITA location nationwide.

VITA has 7,000 locations throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Areli Araujo, site program coordinator, has been with VITA for 10 years. She started as a student assistant in her freshman year, worked up to operations supervisor and eventually returned as a program coordinator after graduation. She notes the organization not only assists the community with tax preparation but also helps students get real-life accounting experience. By helping clients, student volunteers help relieve that stress and make sure everything is filed correctly.

“School does teach you the theory, but I feel like our program really offers the student a chance to experience what they’re going to be doing once they graduate and getting those client interactions,” Araujo said. “I think that’s one of the greatest things of the program – and then, obviously, being able to give back to the community and be able to assist them as well for free.”

One of those dedicated volunteers is Nayeli Jaramillo, a double major in real estate and business administration management. Jaramillo has been a student volunteer since the fall semester of her freshman year, after finding the opportunity during Meet the Clubs. Her motivation came from a personal experience: watching her mother struggle through tax season every year, often ending in owing money to other agencies.

“I think it’s also good to help others without receiving anything, just to have their happy faces and their happy experience with us is a good way for me to receive,” Jaramillo said. “It’s better than a paycheck, to be honest. It’s better to have those families be a happy client, because at the end of the day, you’re helping that person to have a better life, and then they can help others, and then the service goes around.”

During her three years as a student volunteer, one of Jaramillo’s most memorable clients was a single mom who had immigrated from Mexico with her two young sons, fleeing from a violent household. Because she knew little English, she was afraid of being scammed by other tax agencies.

Eventually, she found the CSUN VITA Clinic through her church and got an appointment.

“After we explained [to] her the tax return, she was more knowledgeable about her rights,” Jaramillo said. “She also said that it was a good program for us to not keep it just here [for] a season, but also around the San Fernando Valley area, because it’s helping a lot of people.”

Jaramillo was deeply impacted by the story. To her, VITA is about helping people, not making money from them or even learning new skills for her future career. As a preparer, she also helps clients understand payments like health insurance and car loans, explaining that these issues can cost taxpayers a lot of money if they are not careful.

To ensure quality work, Supervisor Mariana Buitrago, an accounting major, confirmed that all employees are IRS-certified to prepare tax returns. Buitrago, herself, joined for the accounting experience, starting as a tax preparer and moving up to supervisor over the last two semesters.

As a supervisor, Buitrago oversees the tax preparers and offers them support, even after they’ve received assistance, especially at the end of the tax season, when the clinic gets “hectic.” However, students do not need to be finance-related majors to apply; the focus remains on outreach and establishing other locations in the community. Clients are well attended by tax preparers, supervisors, lead supervisors or even operational supervisors if needed.

VITA has also expanded its accessibility. While they already offered interpreting and translation services in Spanish and French, they recently partnered with the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) to offer ASL appointments. Cynthia Montes, VITA Clinic coordinator, knows ASL and assists deaf clients directly.

Tax preparers also train to work with undocumented clients, ITIN holders and those without Social Security. In those situations, Jaramillo assured that no extra questions will be asked about status or payments.

“It is understandable to be scared for something that you don’t know,” Jaramillo said. “But how can you stop being scared of something that you don’t know? If you never take the chance of, like, knowing? So I will say, just take the chance. Give us the opportunity to help you.”

Appointments are designed to be convenient and can be done in person, via email, Zoom or through a quick phone call. In addition to tax preparation, VITA offers appointments to review tax documents, hosts financial literacy workshops and posts on Instagram about filing requirements and contact information.

The impact of this accessibility is felt by clients like Jessika Duenas, a local of the San Fernando Valley. She visited the clinic as a first-time client after hearing about it from her father’s coworkers and was served immediately.

“I feel more informed, especially on my second visit,” Duenas said. “They went through all my taxes and explained to me how much I owe, how much I’m getting back and why, and then they explained to me how in the future I could owe less if I do ever have to owe again.”

For many, the clinic takes the stress out of an intimidating time of the year.

“It’s always just a hassle trying to see who is going to do our taxes,” Duenas said. “It’s always on my mind, what I have to do to find someone to do my taxes, but this was so easy, just coming here.”