For many of us, filing our taxes is as simple as creating an online account with a tax services provider, submitting the necessary documents, and pressing Send. Unfortunately, for many residents in Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, DC, the story is quite different.
Peter Nouhan, a graduate student at Georgetown University, saw a need for professional tax services for the underserved population of elderly and low-wage workers who don’t have access to technology in these communities. He decided to start the first high-school-led, free tax prep initiative in Washington, DC, offering a unique opportunity for local college-bound students to serve their community.
After receiving the 2018 Baker Innovation Grant, a $20,000 grant to fund social and political programs, Mr. Nouhan partnered with Community Tax Aid (CTA), a free, local tax assistance organization, and Hoya Taxa, a Georgetown University undergraduate student organization, to pilot the SEED Tax Prep Ambassadors.
“We approached over 30 schools in the DC area, and Lesli Thompson, director of Experiential Learning & External Opportunities at SEED DC, was the only person who took the leap. She believed in our initiative. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without her,” Mr. Nouhan said.
Every Monday evening, beginning on February 4, the SEED Tax Prep Ambassadors went to St. Luke Catholic Church to learn how to properly prepare tax documents, which included collecting the client’s tax documents, photo ID, and Social Security card and uploading them to a secure Google Drive account. With the help of Ron Hayes, tax program manager at CTA, and Hoya Taxa members Daphne Chiang (Georgetown University ’19) and Mark McNiskin (Georgetown University ’20), the SEED scholars worked closely with their clients to schedule appointments, provide consultations, and input tax information. A certified public accountant then prepared the taxes remotely, and the clients returned a week later to go over their return and submit it.
“Because of this program, I learned what it means to be an effective multitasker and successfully handle multiple clients at one time,” said Kendriss Johnson (SEED DC ’19).
In addition to providing our scholars with tax preparation skills, Mr. Nouhan plans to incorporate the drop-off model devised by CTA, which will enable clients to leave their tax documents after a 20-minute consultation with a student volunteer. This process is more efficient and will allow for more community members to be served.
Congratulations to the following SEED DC scholars—Zachary Clark (SEED DC ’19), London Hart (SEED DC ’19), Kendriss Johnson (SEED DC ’19), Jeffrey Moore IV (SEED DC ’19), Imani Nixon (SEED DC ’19), and Jaymar Richards (SEED DC ’19)—for making history by being a part of such an amazing initiative and serving their community!