A passion for numbers came as a surprise to Justo Soto. “I thought I was going to go into marketing,” he says. “I took an accounting course, and it didn’t come easy to me at first but I decided to go along with it because I liked the challenge.”

Not only did he change course to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting, but he also stepped up as the vice-president of tax in the MacEwan University Accounting Club. In the role, he’s largely responsible for running the annual tax clinic, where accounting students can cut their teeth helping qualifying peers and community members with modest incomes file their taxes for free. It’s a volunteer position he has come to know well.

“I came to MacEwan during COVID, so everything was online for basically my first two years. Going into my third year, I really wanted to get out there a little bit more,” he says. “I saw the tax clinic as a way to meet more accounting students, but also a pretty cool way of gaining experience as a student.”

This will mark his third year volunteering in the clinic, and his second in a more senior, planning role. Soto says he learned a lot last year, and is using that knowledge to help other volunteers have fun while they gain worthwhile career experience. 

Those volunteers have grown in numbers since he took over, too. Last year, he helped 120 volunteers register for the clinic, and this year 160 participants have signed up.

The larger volunteer base makes Soto hopeful that they can also increase the number of completed tax returns – and students and community members served – from last year’s 315 to 400.

“Being able to see the change from when I took it over to now is really fun,” he says.

This will be Soto’s last time participating in the tax clinic as a MacEwan student. He plans to pursue his CPA certification following graduation this spring, and has already landed a job with KPMG beginning in the fall.

The clinic will run from March 17 to 22, and again from March 24 to 28. For more information, check out the MacEwan University Accounting Club’s website.

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