After a Lifetime of Facing Adversity, This H&R Block Team Leader Is Helping Clients Overcome Their Own

Halfway through her second season as a Team Leader at H&R Block in Monmouth, Illinois, Ninoska Dominique is leading change in her offices by creating confidence in clients facing language barriers. Her dedication to helping these clients reflects the same hardships she’s faced throughout her life.

Growing up, Dominque’s had to interpret for her father. No one in her community spoke Spanish – her first language. In fact, her school noticed she didn’t know English well and considered putting her in special education courses.

“Every statistic was against me, but my father set such high expectations,’” said Dominque. “I had no choice other than proving everyone wrong.”

She then became fluent in English, advanced past her classmates and earned two college degrees. And now, after a lifetime of facing adversity, she’s helping clients overcome theirs.

This tax season, a Spanish-speaking couple came to see Dominique after a tax pro at another business failed them. They were nervous after realizing their previous tax pro had filed them as a single household for the last five years, but relieved that Dominque spoke their language. She immediately stepped in to make sure they understood everything and began amending their prior returns.

“This had nothing to do with anything but doing the right thing,” she said. “I’ve always been led to help people. If someone isn’t happy about their money, I want them to come in and get everything checked again so they can be confident in knowing I did everything to get them every dollar they deserve.”

Dominique is a huge proponent of diversity and inclusion, and her leadership shows it. In her community, where Lingual and Spanish are as commonly spoken as English, she encourages her team to be understanding of the community’s needs to consistently improve the client experience for Monmouth residents.    

“In my short time here, I’m happy to say that I don’t feel like just another number here at Block,” Dominique said. “I was able to grow and encourage my team, and I wish my dad knew how much I loved my job and the great opportunities I am getting. I would really appreciate showing my father that his sacrifices were worth it.”