Dan Brower - VACorps

Dan Brower

Wisconsin, USA

I first went to Cape Town in Spring 2010 as a study abroad student. Within days, I fell absolutely in love with the city. I lived in VAC Housing with a group of other abroad students and the VAC staff took us in and included us in all of their activities even though we weren’t part of the program. I quickly became close friends with the team and knew I would be coming back one day to take part in the program.

I finally got my chance in August 2013. I was working in advertising sales in television and wanted to switch gears and get more involved with the creative side of things. I had very specific experience I was looking to gain and VAC did an incredible job listening to what I needed and finding the right internship for me. I ended up working at a commercial production company where I got to do location scouting, production coordination, research, creative referencing, and on set help. I learned an incredible amount about the creative process which was exactly what my resume needed. At the end of my 3 month internship my site asked me to stay and I was able to turn it into a 6 month internship. I was also able to network with other production companies back in the states that worked through my internship site which was extremely helpful when landing a job upon my return. My VAC internship proved to be invaluable in developing my career.

What really makes VAC so special is the experience they create around your internship. It truly is a family and the staff and other interns are always there to help you out throughout your entire time in Cape Town. Cape Town has so much to do and VAC does an amazing job of helping you get the most out of your time. Each week, they do VAC Friday Activities where they take you on cool adventures around the city. They also do weekend trips and longer trips to places like Namibia and Mozambique. Interns are kept up to date on other events around the city and the staff is always available for questions. What’s great is that you can do as much of it or as little as you’d like. But VAC always makes sure you have plenty of options.

I’m not sure what it is about Cape Town and also VAC but both tend to attract the most amazing people. I became such great friends with the staff, my fellow interns, and other people in the city that in 6 months I became closer to than people I’ve known my whole life. Cape Town is truly one of the greatest cities on this planet. It has this energy that inspires you to get out in the world and make the most of each day. It will make you fall in love with the city and it’s a feeling that will stay with you long after you leave. Words cannot express how highly I recommend going to Cape Town and there is no better way to do it in terms of internship and overall experience than through VAC.