Laura recently earned a BA in Social Work at Belmont University. She joined the VACorps Program in July 2022 and participated in a social work internship at an NGO based in one of Cape Town’s townships that supports the surrounding community.
“When I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to take some time before I moved on to work or grad school, so I chose to do a 5-month internship with VACorps. This decision turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I loved getting to practice social work with clients who had different backgrounds, cultures, and languages than me. Taking isiXhosa lessons with Kholi also massively enhanced my experience and helped me connect with my clients. Living in Observatory is never boring as there’s always an event or a new restaurant to try. Observatory felt like home from the first walking tour, and living with so many like-minded people made it even better. Our house on Station Rd became a little unit with weekly organized by VACorps.”
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 [...]
