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By Sandra Aching, Justice and Legal Thought Scholar
Throughout my participation in the JLT program, I’ve been able to learn more about how law and different aspects of society intersect, driving me to explore opportunities to advance social justice.
Throughout my participation in the JLT program, I’ve been able to learn more about how law and different aspects of society intersect, driving me to explore opportunities to advance social justice. The most important part about my internship at Terptax was being able to work with a supportive team, who helped me to understand the area of tax law to be able to help provide a quality Tax preparation service to our clients. The work that I did this semester, helped me to learn a variety of skills and in the same manner, I was able to give back to my community. What mattered the most to me was that the client felt reassured about the tax process, and left us understanding more about why they need to do their taxes. I had the opportunity to also learn more about how doing taxes can be helpful to complete procedures like obtaining an individual tax identification number, evidence for immigration status proceedings, and even applying for different social benefits. These types of proceedings are important for individuals but especially for minorities as barriers like language, and socioeconomic status plays a role in their ability to complete their goals. Therefore, in my internship at Terptax, I’ve been able to help clients get one step closer to achieving their goals without the worry of pay or other circumstances that may impede their goals. I believe that this internship has prepared me for future opportunities in which I can use my skills to give back to my community and advance social justice.
Hi Sandra, I think it's super cool that you're a kind of a qualified tax expert in college! I've previously had to fill out tax forms and I'm honestly shocked at just how confusing and inaccessible it can be for some people, especially those who do not speak English. This is probably one of the most unique internship experiences in JLT, since it deals with increasing financial literacy in marginalized communities, which is highly invaluable.
Hey Sandra,
Besides all the internships based around law firms, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, yours contrasted and still interacted with the core elements of JLT, which made it stand out to me. Your internship at TerpTax seemed great for your major and taught me more about the nuanced nature of non-profits connected to UMD. Connecting your internship closer to JLT, do you think what you learned in JLT ultimately contributed to how you completed activities at TerpTax? Fantastic poster!
Hi Sandra,
This is such an interesting focus! As a Latina myself, I completely understand how some members of society can be entirely excluded from important things such as financial literacy and how this can negatively impact these communities. I think that your work is so impactful and essential and it's also not one of the most immediate kinds of internships one looks for. I am curious though, was it difficult learning these terms and processes yourself before helping Spanish speakers? I know that sometimes it can be nerve-wracking trying to explain such technical things to a sometimes clueless audience.
I chose your presentation because I wanted to find out what Terptax was and what you did for it. I learned that it helped low to mid-income people with their taxes. I also was surprised and impressed by the fact there were rigorous qualifications for it. I also found it interesting that you found an internship that perfectly aligns with your major
Hey Sandra! I was really drawn to your poster because the internship was very different from the others. Your color scheme and design was also very eye grabbing! Before reading your poster I didn’t know that we had such a service at UMD. I also learned that to do this work you have to be certified so congratulations on your accomplishments! I see that it says the service is offered free of charge to the UMD community but does that also include alumni, staff, and parents of current students?