VITA volunteers help community members secure more than $194,000 in tax refunds

Student volunteers gain invaluable real-world experience through community service

May 12, 2026

by Jennifer Nerad

University Communications

A group of people stand in rows posing for a photo in matching blue WWU sweatshirts

2026 VITA at WWU volunteers at their end-of-season celebration. Photo courtesy of VITA at WWU.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at Western Washington University provides free, high-quality tax preparation services to the community, with a focus on low- and moderate-income households, people with disabilities, and individuals with limited English proficiency.

VITA is hands-on experience where volunteers get to see what it’s like to work on a real tax return and have face-to-face interactions with a taxpayer. It’s something you can’t learn from a textbook.

Darlene Mercado

During the 2026 tax season, 49 trained volunteers, mostly students, worked with 190 taxpayers to secure more than $194,000 in tax refunds for local residents. Every refund dollar saved is money that could go toward necessities like food, rent and childcare.

VITA at WWU is led primarily by student volunteers from the College of Business and Economics (CBE) who complete Accounting Professor Zander Liu’s individual income taxes practicum course, where they learn about IRS ethics, tax law, professionalism, taxpayer engagement, accuracy and cultural competency. CBE Associate Dean Steve Smith and retired CPA Robynn Troiano assist with complex cases and volunteer training.

“At VITA, our main goal is to get taxpayers the biggest possible refund,” said Darlene Mercado, a senior accounting major from Everett who just finished her second year of volunteering with VITA at WWU. “Seeing their faces when they see their refund is probably the best moment for me.”

Some taxpayers return year after year.

“My first year, I helped a taxpayer send off her return and get a good refund,” Mercado said. “Afterward, I remember she said, ‘I hope you have a wonderful life.’ That stood out to me. And then I saw her again this year.”

This year, the program was able to accommodate more taxpayers because of an increased number of volunteer tax preparers. An information and training session last fall drew more than 90 interested student volunteers, which surprised Mercado so much she thought she was in the wrong place.

Retired CPA Robynn Troiano, right, leads a training session for VITA volunteers. Photo courtesy of VITA at WWU.

“When I got to the room, I was like, oh, there are so many people in there. It must be a class. They can’t all be here for VITA,” laughed Mercado. “We waited outside a bit, and when we finally went inside, we saw that everyone was there for VITA.”

VITA at WWU: 2026 by the numbers

49 volunteers, including one local high school student, one retired CPA/tax accountant, and two CBE faculty members

190 in-person returns handled, up from 162 last year

80+ self-prep cases where taxpayers can complete their return using the VITA at WWU website, requesting assistance from volunteers only if needed

$181,254 in federal income tax refunds from in-person returns

19 Washington State Working Families Tax Credit returns filed, for an estimated total refund of ~$13,680

$21,041 in taxes due from in-person returns

2 tax-related workshops offered in collaboration with the Merriman Financial Literacy Program and the WWU International Student Office

15 Whatcom Community College’s VITA volunteers trained

25–30 international students from Western, Whatcom Community College and Skagit Valley Colleges served

93: Age of the oldest taxpayer. The youngest was a high school student.

After volunteering as a tax preparer in 2025, Mercado returned this year as a student leader and site coordinator, helping guide the program and mentor new volunteers.

“Usually, in clubs, I will pick the officer position in which I’m behind the scenes. This was the exact opposite,” said Mercado. “That was the biggest challenge for me: stepping out of my comfort zone, getting up there and talking, and walking new volunteers through a tax return. But as I did it, I realized, okay, I got this.”

Mercado plans to graduate in June and will start a new job as a tax accountant in July. She says she’s excited to join a firm that values community service where she can continue volunteering through company-organized group events.

As tax season ramped up in January, Mercado was joined by another student leader, Johnny Dinh-Nguyen, a third year from Bellingham who is majoring in accounting with a management information systems concentration. Like Mercado, this is Dinh-Nguyen’s second year volunteering with VITA.

Dinh-Nguyen initially joined VITA for the experience and to stand out in the job market, but the promotion to student leader this year gave him a chance to use and grow his organizational, presentation, and leadership skills.

Student leaders keep the program running smoothly by recruiting and training volunteers, tracking cases, assisting remote taxpayers, reviewing tax returns for accuracy, supporting tax preparers, and generally keeping the operation running smoothly throughout the tax season that runs from mid-February to mid-April.

The IRS supplies training materials for the VITA program, but WWU faculty and student leaders enrich it with workshops, tailored training and practice sessions that boost volunteer confidence.

“We still give out all the IRS training materials, but this year we provided more explanations and lectures, including more advanced topics. That made a huge difference, and it made our VITA team more successful this year,” said Dinh-Nguyen, who will return as a student leader for the 2027 tax season.

Dinh-Nguyen says VITA at WWU gives volunteers a taste of what it would be like to work in an actual tax preparer role.

“It’s actually impossible to memorize every single tax rule,” said Dinh-Nguyen. “The only way you can really get better at tax is to experience it.”

Learn more about the program on the VITA at WWU website and find out about degree programs in the Department of Accounting in the College of Business and Economics.

Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of Business and Economics and College of the Environment for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at neradj@wwu.edu.