Aung Kaung Myat
Co-Site Coordinator |
Fourth Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Accounting I joined VITA because I’ve always been passionate in helping out my community. VITA gave me a chance to follow my passion while also allowing me to develop myself professionally and network with an amazing group of dedicated individuals! I’ve gained many opportunities to network with so many individuals and firms through volunteering! VITA definitely played a huge role in guiding my career path/ interest and helped me land my summer internships! My goals for VITA as a Co-Site are to ensure every member of our board as well as new/ returning interns and clients feel welcomed and supported during all parts of our three-quarter long internship. Overall, I hope to help guide everyone through the same kind of opportunities I had when I first joined VITA! Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, Biking, and Running. |
Benjamin Forney
Co-Site Coordinator |
Master of Professional Accountancy student
I returned to VITA for 2023-2024 because of the valuable service this program provides to members of our community. VITA is a really unique program because of its benefit to clients and our interns, which is why I originally joined. However, I have stayed as a volunteer over the past three years because of the benefits to our clients and desire to contribute to the organization's continued success. As a VITA volunteer, you never fully know the benefit you are providing to community members by ensuring they receive their income tax refund and take advantage of relevant government incentives. I have also gained an appreciation for the financial knowledge I have learned during my time at UC Davis. I am really excited to be this year's Co-site Coordinator and want to take a lead role in redesigning our program's trainings for the benefit of our interns. Additionally, I want to provide more income tax preparation services to UC Davis students and increase community awareness of our program. Hobbies/Interests: Deer Hunting, Steelhead Fishing, Exploring Public Lands |
Victoria Jiang
Co-Vice President |
Third Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Accounting Two years ago, I was really impressed that there was such a student-run organization that was dedicated to helping the community, especially with filing tax returns, which is known to be stressful to many people. Being a managerial economics major, I wanted to be a part of this organization that helped others through my main field of study, and until then, I never knew that there was a way to directly help people with my major. I find myself looking forward to who I would have as a client and what conversation I would have with them before every tax site, and I learned so much not just from preparing the tax returns, but also from my clients themselves. Being a VITA volunteer has given me unparalleled experience in giving back to the community, and I will always carry this experience with me in my future endeavors. My hope for VITA is to spread the word about the organization to have more people come in to have their taxes done. Hobbies/Interests: Exploring the field of arts and music, Piano, Singing, Crocheting, and recently Water Coloring. I also enjoy volunteering and spending time with children/elderly, and my current internship abroad involves teaching English to migrant children of Shanghai, which I absolutely adore. |
Elaine Yiling Ma
Co-Vice President & Web Master |
Fourth Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Accounting VITA provided a great opportunity for me to learn the technical skills in taxation, tax-filing and engage with the community at Davis. Starting from an intern to a vice president, I applied those acquired skills while strengthening my customer service and interpersonal skills when working with other members of VITA or clients while filing their tax returns. It was definitely a memorable experience, so I have continued for the third year! I hope to provide a welcoming and collaborative environment for all interns with a position as a lead intern and ensure an easy-to-navigate and organized website for local clients to schedule their tax returns as the webmaster. Hobbies/Interests: Visiting cafes for mochas, Hiking, K-dramas, and Podcasts |
Jenn Phan
Marketing & Design Director |
Fourth Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Accounting & Political Science Honestly, I joined VITA because my friend was in the organization, and she encouraged me to apply with her. I thought it would be a good experience to learn more about taxes, gain real-life experience with filing taxes, and also improve my interviewing skills. I figured I had nothing to lose since no prior experience was needed, so I gave it a shot, and now I'm here! My experience as a VITA volunteer provided me with first-hand experience in the fast-paced and constantly evolving field of tax. It highlighted the importance of staying up-to-date and continuously learning. What I enjoyed the most was the unique nature of each assignment as they were tailored to the individual client; it was satisfying and rewarding to be involved in a tax return from start to finish. Volunteering for VITA and having capable board members as mentors was invaluable in gaining insight into working in tax. Aside from gaining tax filing experience, I had the opportunity to form new friendships and professional connections through this program. As a member of Students in VITA, my primary goal is to help expand the program and provide quality tax assistance to low-income individuals. I hope to achieve this by proposing new fundraisers and socials to increase involvement in the program and raise awareness of our mission. Additionally, I would like to foster a closer community within the organization by organizing events to help members bond and get to know each other outside of tax sites. Ultimately, my aspiration is to help more individuals in need with their taxes and make a positive impact in our community. Hobbies/Interests: I cook A LOT, like preparing three full-course meals every day—making food and taking care of others is kind of my love language. I also love meeting new people and connecting with them at local events like the Davis Farmers Market or Sacramento Vintage Fairs. In addition to traveling and exploring new places, I enjoy going on hikes around the bay, baking, and practicing self-care—such as doing face masks or playing on my Switch—just to take my mind off schoolwork! |
Han Truong
Finance Director |
Fourth Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Technology Management & Statistics VITA is a welcoming and supportive community with people who are passionate about helping others. I mainly joined VITA because it provides real-world experience through interaction with clients and learning how to prepare tax returns. It is also a great way to meet new people while making a positive impact on our community! I definitely gained a lot of technical skills that involve tax preparation and knowledge on federal and income taxes. I also gained soft skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, and time management. As a board member, I would like to help create a welcoming and safe space for all volunteers. I would like to foster connections and friendships between members so they can feel welcomed here. At the same time, I want everyone to have fun while learning and not be afraid of being judged if they make mistakes. Hobbies/Interests: Night drives with friends, fan dancing, binge-watching shows (right now I'm going thru season 5 of Grey's!), watching sport games (mainly basketball and football), and love anything that is matcha-flavored (milk tea, coffee, or dessert) |
Teresa Chou
Lead Intern |
Third Year
Major: Managerial Economics I heard about VITA through the involvement fair on campus. As a freshman back then, I felt the urge to join student organizations that align with my interests and future career path, so I joined VITA with the hope to enhance my technical skills in finance and taxation, meet peers with similar interests, and hone my soft skills in communication and team working. I really enjoyed learning about basic taxation knowledge and helping my clients to work on their taxes. The experience in VITA gave me the opportunity to confront practical challenges and grow through problem-solving. Being a lead intern this year, I hope to make use of my leadership skills to help other interns develop their professional skills in VITA while also providing high quality services to the Davis community. Hobbies/Interests: Longboarding, Billiards, Texas Hold'em, and Traveling |
Alvina Quan
Lead Intern |
Year
Major: Minor: I joined VITA because I wanted to gain valuable tax and internship experience while helping the community around me. VITA has been a great way for me to develop myself professionally and has allowed me to learn the basics of taxes. It has been a rewarding experience to help community members file their tax returns without stress. I hope to be able to use my knowledge in tax accounting to help guide future interns towards a better experience in VITA and file even more returns this year overall. Hobbies/Interests: Watching K-dramas, Reading fiction/romance novels, Taking walks, Music |
Samuel Lee
Lead Intern |
Fourth Year
Major: English Minor: Managerial Economics I joined VITA to gain valuable experience while helping out the Davis community! I’ve learned so much about the lives of the people of this city, students and permanent residents alike, while helping them with their tax-related issues. My goal is to help others gain an appreciation of doing volunteer work as a tax preparer while also aiding them in becoming a more familiar with their roles and duties. Hobbies/Interests: Playing the drums and Read books! |
Gurjot "Jojo" Phagura
Lead Intern |
Third Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Accounting I joined VITA as a way to gain experience in the tax world and to help people who may not have the same resources as others. I have gained so much from volunteering with VITA. Being able to gain a deeper understanding of people's lives while trying to help them is an experience like no other. I hope to gain a better understanding of how to do taxes. I want to be able to gain knowledge about the tax world so I can better help any client that wants to come to VITA. Hobbies/Interests: Listening to music and hanging out with my friends! |
Selina Xu
Lead Intern |
Third Year
Major: Managerial Economics I joined VITA because I wanted to get hands on experience on what it was like filing other people's taxes. VITA also prepares and introduces you to what it's like to conduct in a professional setting. Participating in the VITA volunteering program significantly bolstered my confidence in engaging with individuals and deepening my knowledge of the tax filing process. My goals for VITA as a board member is to encourage more people to join and educate more people about the nitty gritty behind filing taxes so they can file their own taxes in the future. Hobbies/Interests: Going to cafes, Plant shopping, and Dancing |
Irene Barradas
Lead Intern |
Third Year
Major: Managerial Economics Minor: Acoounting I joined VITA in order to help my community through a typically nerve racking process. Joining VITA has allow to work one on one with clients allowing me to learn and develop my professional and communication skills. Being in VITA this past year has allow me to develop a deeper understanding of tax law. Through workshops and one on one client interactions, I gained insight on commonly used tax documents, applicable tax credits, and most importantly how to make the tax filing process more understanding to the common public. This year as Lead Intern, I aspire for an expansion of VITA’s outreach. My objective is to reach a bigger audience in order help and inform more people about VITA’s free tax return assistance. Hobbies/Interests: Reading and Gym |
