Celina Valenzuela

Celina is studying toward a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at UCLA. She joined the VACorps program in June 2025 and participated in an internship at a women’s health startup.

My internship in Cape Town gave me the chance to build confidence in a professional environment while working with people every day. One of the biggest things I gained was becoming more comfortable with public speaking and with daily customer interactions.

I also learned how important it is to be flexible and to pay attention to cultural differences when you are working in another country. There were new ways of communicating and working that I had to pick up quickly, and being open to those differences helped me settle into the internship and connect with the people around me.

I was lucky to work alongside colleagues who were patient and willing to show me the ropes, which made it much easier to learn and become comfortable in the role. The internship was also flexible enough that I could take the work seriously while still having time to experience Cape Town outside the office.

More broadly, my time in Cape Town taught me how much I enjoy meeting new people and connecting across cultures. I came away from the experience with more confidence, a better understanding of how I work with others, and a lot of clarity about what I value in a professional environment.

VAC made the whole experience feel very manageable. The team was welcoming and reliable from the beginning, and I always felt like there was someone I could turn to if I needed help. Cape Town ended up feeling like home much faster than I expected.