Aliza has recently earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Istanbul Bilgi University. She joined the VACorps Program in September 2022 and participated in a Political Science Internship.
“The reason I chose Cape Town for my internship abroad is that I fell in love with the city when I first came here with my family when I was 13. Since then I knew that I wanted to experience life in Cape Town. Now it has been 6 months since I come here and I can say that it has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I met some amazing people within the program from all around the world and we explored the city together. I even bungee jumped which I would never previously have thought of doing before traveling here! It was one of the highlights of my time here, being able to overcome the fear was a very liberating experience.
I learned so much and had a lot of fun during my experience. I was able to know myself more and it is truly a great feeling to be able to call Cape Town my home. I believe I’ll miss the everyday life at the Observatory the most. Also, Kholi and Kuselwa were like sisters to me here– they were amazing, especially in organizing the weekly activities and teaching us their culture in South Africa. I would like to thank the VACorps team for simply being the best! I would definitely recommend the program to everyone.”
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 [...]
