Ava-Celeste is majoring in African Studies at Smith College and is expected to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May 2021. She joined the VACorps program in August 2020 as a remote intern and participated in an internship at an NGO that provides educational support to underprivileged children in Cape Town.
“After the COVID-19 hit the globe, I was worried I would not be able to have an experience out of the United States. I loved the community of people that I met through both VACorps and my internship site. I loved learning about South African culture from Buddy Chats with Kuselwa and Kholi.
I hope to keep in contact with both VACorps and my internship site, as I hope to visit South Africa one day in the future. I really enjoyed the projects I was given because they afforded me the opportunity to learn and develop a new skill. I never had to create an informational brochure or a workbook before, but I am glad I got the opportunity to do so.”
Meet our most recent VACorps program alumni:
Laila Wheeler, California, USA (2023)
Laila Wheeler is studying Public Affairs, Education, and Sociology at the University of California Los Angeles. She participated in a human rights internship from June - August of 2023. "Traveling to Cape Town was genuinely [...]
Innogen Naylor, Vermont, USA (2023)
Innogen joined the VACorps Program as part of her Gap Year in January 2023 and participated in an internship at a local school for learners from Zimbabwe who are attempting to integrate into the South [...]
Avital Strauss, Illinois, USA (2023)
Avital joined the VACorps PRogram as part of her Gap Year in January 2023 and participated in an internship at an NGO that supports and serves underprivileged communities in one of Cape Town's townships. [...]
William Monkarsh, California, USA (2023)
Will joined the VACorps Program in January 2023, as part of his GAP year, and participated in an internship at an eco-tourism company in Cape Town. "My experience with VAC has definitely been life-changing. [...]
Clancy Erickson, North Carolina, USA (2022)
Clancy recently completed her BA in Human Services Studies at Elon University. She joined the VACorps program in September 2022, and participate in an internship at an NGO that supports refugees in Cape Town. [...]
Dylan DeRosa, New York, USA (2023)
Dylan joined the VACorps program in January 2023 as part of his Gap Year and participated in a human rights law internship. "Cape Town and the VACorps have provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience [...]
