UNO Accounting Students Gain Real-World Experience Through Workforce Development Program

Students in the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) College of Business Administration are serving the community through a new Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) experiential learning course designed to strengthen Nebraska's accounting workforce.

Launched by the School of Accounting, the course gives students the opportunity to apply classroom concepts by preparing tax returns for community members through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Working alongside experienced volunteers, students develop technical tax knowledge while building the communication, professionalism, and critical thinking skills employers increasingly seek.

"The goal of this course is to help students translate tax knowledge from the classroom into practice while developing confidence and professionalism," said Lori Simonsen, CPA, Lecturer, in UNO CBA’s School of Accounting and Instructor for the course. "Throughout the semester, I watched students grow not only in their technical abilities, but also in how they saw themselves as emerging accounting professionals."

For accounting student Zachary Aguallo, the experience reshaped his understanding of accounting. "Before volunteering with VITA, I mostly thought of accounting as working with numbers behind a desk," Aguallo said. "This experience showed me that accounting is also about helping people. It was rewarding to see how much of a difference we could make by helping someone understand their tax return and making the filing process less stressful."

As students encountered increasingly complex tax situations, they learned to navigate unfamiliar challenges with confidence. "At first, I wasn't always confident that I knew the right answer," Aguallo said. "I learned how to slow down, use the resources available to me, and ask questions when I needed help. By the end of the program, I was much more confident in preparing returns and communicating with taxpayers."

Beyond preparing future accountants, the program also addresses an important community need by assisting with access to free, reliable tax preparation services for eligible taxpayers. The program has received enthusiastic support from UNO's Accounting Advisory Board, whose members recognize the value of graduates with real-world accounting experience.

Kailey Riskowski, COA, CHFP, School of Accounting Advisory Board Chair said, “I can speak for our entire Advisory Board when I say we enthusiastically support the workforce development program and applaud the School of Accounting’s efforts to launch this course. The benefits are many; the opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in the classroom, where they can apply learned technical concepts while also practicing professional skills in a supportive environment with accounting faculty, is truly invaluable. Exposure to situations where students must apply critical thinking, professional judgment, and tactful communication skills, while working to produce an accurate deliverable, will undoubtedly help prepare them for future success in their accounting careers.”

"Accounting firms and employers consistently tell us they value graduates who can communicate effectively, exercise sound judgment, and adapt to real client situations," Lori said. "Experiential learning opportunities help students develop those skills before they graduate."

Lori credits the course's success to its partnership with AARP Tax-Aide Omaha. "I am incredibly grateful for our partnership with AARP Tax-Aide," she said. "This course would not be possible without their collaboration. I especially want to thank Sylvia VanZandt, Bill Startzer, and Charlotte Rasmussen for their time, guidance, and continuous support."

Through several initiatives like the VITA experiential learning course, UNO’s School of Accounting continues to prepare career-ready graduates while strengthening the communities they serve.