Giving back pays forward

UW-Green Bay alumnus, Dustin Maertz, shares his past and present experience with UW-Green Bay’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA offers free tax assistance from UW-Green Bay Accounting students and community volunteers like Dustin.

Dustin, a 2010 UW-Green Bay graduate, was an Accounting major student with a minor in Finance. He has always been seeking out real-world experience and a way to be more involved in the community. In 2022, he received a certificate of appreciation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in recognition and appreciation for ten years of outstanding contribution to public service through the VITA program. Dustin stated that VITA is essential for those interested in tax, or networking with those in college and the community.

Due to his year-long dedication to VITA program, he chose to work as an auditor for the Department of Revenue, after his time spent in the US Navy following graduation. To this day, Dustin still volunteers for VITA because of the impact VITA has made in his life. He currently helps students review their returns for accuracy at the Oneida Nation site and Brown County Library.

UW-Green Bay and the Green Bay community are very thankful for Dustin Maertz’s strong involvement in helping others and making a difference for the new generation of Accounting Majors. Some valuable advice Dustin would give to students now would be to “get out and network, further your education, and know, things can always change.” He emphasized how crucial it is to get to know the people around you, whether coworkers, student peers, or people in the community. “Making connections with people you don’t know can benefit your life in many ways,” states the Green Bay alum.

You can visit the VITA website to learn more about the VITA program at UW-Green Bay. Students interested in participating in VITA and receiving course credit can contact Zhuoli Axelton, UW-Green Bay assistant professor of Accounting and head of the VITA program, at vita@uwgb.edu.