The Volunteer Adventure Corps Team

Sean Walpole graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2002 with a Bachelor of Social Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Sean is a South African with extensive experience working with international students and university professors and describes his position at the VACorps as his dream job. Sean has a passion for travel and an insatiable desire for exploration. Since 2001, Sean has organized and led trips to Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and along the Garden Route in South Africa. He provides all logistical support for university faculty-led programs in South Africa facilitated by VACorps (see our Faculty-Led South Africa website for more information). In his spare time, Sean has also managed to teach more than 150 people to SCUBA dive! He is one of the most enthusiastic, hard-working individuals you will ever meet!

Contact Sean at:  sean@vacorps.com

Oliver graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 with a BA in Journalism and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. Oliver’s path to Cape Town originated when he decided to spend his junior year studying abroad at the University of Cape Town through CIEE. From his first few days in the country, Oliver fell in love with his surroundings and has been a resident of South Africa since 2006. It is for this very reason that he feels so strongly about providing VACorps participants with the necessary support and information to have a memorable overseas experience. His personal volunteer experiences include teaching English to fifth graders in the Khayelitsha Township and working as a writing tutor for students speaking English as a second language. When not engaged in VACorps affairs, Oliver can be found surfing one of Cape Town's many amazing waves.

Contact Oliver at: oliver@vacorps.com

Originally from Johannesburg and schooled in Grahamstown, Vanessa's family lives in the small town of Plettenberg Bay. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Cape Town in Marine Science and a Post-Graduate degree in Physical Oceanography. After finishing her studies, she worked as a PADI scuba diving instructor in the Bahamas and then moved to Mozambique, where she also lived and worked as an instructor for a year. She has been with the program since March of 2010 and loves the work she does at VACorps! Vanessa designs internship placements for our program participants and is a key coordinator of our VAC Travel adventures. For all enquiries about internships, travel and adventure, feel free to contact her!

Contact Vanessa at: vanessa@vacorps.com

As a native South African, Andrew will become your guide to Cape Town. In addition to giving interns a public transportation orientation when they arrive, Andrew is also the VACorps soccer coach and events planner. He is most famous among interns for coordinating weekend trips to Mzolis and other places in the townships. Andrew has a very easygoing and hospitable personality, and will go out of his way to make interns feel comfortable in his home country.

Contact Andrew at: andrew@vacorps.com

Takiyah White Ndwanya, who is originally from Washington, DC, is a doctoral student currently working on her dissertation in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and taught for years in the public school system on the middle and high school levels, as well as for various programs on the county and university levels, respectively. Takiyah obtained her Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree from The George Washington University in 2004 and has worked in a consultant capacity for public health programs involving adolescent health/physical activity promotion, organ donation awareness, prostate cancer prevention, HIV/AIDs prevention, and Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Upon beginning her dissertation in September 2010, Takiyah decided to do an internship with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in Cape Town, South Africa through the Volunteer Adventure Corps (VACorps). While in Cape Town, she fell in love with the country and enjoyed her internship so much that she decided to stay until the completion of writing her dissertation. She is excited about working with VACorps to bring students from around the world to the program and to share her new adopted country!

Contact Takiyah at: takiyah@vacorps.com

Marvellous graduated from the University of the Western Cape, a school commonly known as "the bush", in 2004 with a BA in Tourism. After finishing his studies, he worked with Cape Town Tourism for a period of 6 years. He joined VACorps in 2011 and has a passion for working with interns as they adjust to life in the Mother City. When not working at VACorps, Marvellous enjoys watching soccer or hosting a good braai! He is happily married to Ivy Ndwanya, who also works at VACorps. 

Contact Marvellous at: marvellous@vacorps.com 

Ivy was born and raised in Cape Town, and is proudly South African! She is famous among VACorps interns because of her amazing cooking skills, especially when it comes to preparing authentic South African meals. She is the coordinator of VACorps cooking classes and serves as the chef during VACorps faculty-led programs in South Africa. In addition to showing interns how to make fabulous South African cuisine, Ivy teaches VACorps Xhosa lessons (Xhosa is one of South Africa's 11 official languages), hosted on a weekly basis at the VACorps office. Ivy's great personality is contagious and she inspires every intern to dive into South African culture!

Contact Ivy at: ivy@vacorps.com

Allison Boyer graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in May of 2012 with a Bachelor of Social Work and a minor in Psychology. She enjoys traveling and has lived in several other countries for short periods of time, but during her internship in Cape Town, something captured her heart and she decided to return. At VACorps, Allison has the privilege to supervise some of the interns, and provide support during their stay in South Africa. She organizes the VACorps monthly charity drives to benefit children in local orphanages. She has a passion for helping others, and given her history of volunteering at children's homes, she spends her spare time working with a team of professionals to complete volunteer building projects in the townships. Allison likes to coordinate events and cherishes low-key functions while strengthening old friendships and forging new ones. She is a good source for interns adjusting to a new environment while making the best of their experience. 

Contact Allison at: Allison@vacorps.com

Thomas Hill graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage in the spring of 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a minor in Athletic Training. Originally from the city of Thunder Bay, Canada, Thomas first came through the program as an intern in the fall of 2012 working as a pediatric physiotherapist at local school in Belville. After completing his internship he decided to pursue other interests and now has the privilege of working with the applications team here at VAC. As an ardent traveler and adventurer, Thomas brings both passion and knowledge to interns as someone with great insight of both the program and the city. When he's not out pursuing his next adventure or indulging in the many spoils Cape Town has to offer, he can be found scuba diving, hiking, learning to surf, running with the local club, or volunteering within the community. He is a great source for interns unsure of what to expect in Cape Town, and will work with you every step of the way to assure your best possible stay here in the Mother City. 

Contact Thomas at: thomas@vacorps.com

Legend has been working at VACorps since July of 2011. He is a regular on our Friday program activities and keeps morale high during the most difficult hikes! He enjoys shoelaces, so keep yours tucked in when visiting our office!