Sydney Kirchner

Sydney studies Education Studies with a concentration in Equity and Educational Change and a minor in Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She joined VAC in June 2026 and completed a nonprofit education internship with a South African community development organization, where she gained experience in event planning, fundraising and donor communication, while developing a deeper understanding of nonprofit organizations and human rights education.

I chose to come to Cape Town because I had a brief visit last year and fell in love with the city and the people I met. I felt really uncertain about how I wanted to go about it, but I’m so thankful that I had my South Africa experience through VAC.

My internship gave me a lot of opportunities for field experience and individual learning, which I really enjoyed. I learned a lot, especially about advocating for myself as well as just how an NGO functions. I planned an event which required a lot of correspondence. I think my communication skills, especially surrounding fundraising and donations, really improved. I also think my general understanding of the functioning of nonprofit organizations improved.

The organization focuses a lot on local people and communities and contributes towards long-term change within the city of Cape Town in terms of human rights education and development.

The VAC employees are so helpful and kind, and I genuinely looked forward to seeing them every week. The weekly meetups were always so fun and engaging and were a great way to get to know our peers and see the city. VAC also made integration into my internship really easy, which I appreciated. Even though there were some moments that challenged me, I feel like I grew a lot.

I always knew I could reach someone at any time of day, and I think the personal WhatsApp communication makes everything super easy. Orientation was SO MUCH FUN! I think orientation week provides the perfect opportunity to make friends and see the city.