Renée (pictured in the center back row) is a student at Yale University and joined the VACorps program in February 2022. She participated in an internship at a human rights and youth empowerment organization.
“Leaving Cape Town is bittersweet, but I know that I’ll be back as soon as I can – from the views at the top of Table Mountain to the Observatory café scene and the communities I had the opportunity to work with through my internship, there is so much to love here and look forward to returning to. I have learned loads about South African culture and had the chance to meet Capetonians from many different areas through both the program and my internship. I planned and followed through with my own project idea in Kraaifontein and I was very proud to have seen my idea through. I also tried to get out of the office as much as possible and was happy to have the chance to travel to 4 different townships and informal settlements during my time in Cape Town. The VACorps program has been the perfect balance between getting a feel for living and working in an international city while also forming a tight community connection with other interns.”
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 [...]
