Elsa Lawrence

Elsa is from New York, United States of America, and is pursuing an undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Wesleyan University. She joined VAC in June 2026 and completed a public health internship with a nonprofit organization conducting epidemiological research and diagnostic evaluations.

I loved Cape Town so much, and VAC was such an amazing resource to have. I really, really enjoyed all of the VACtivities. The staff are so, so lovely, and they helped me figure out how to make the most of my time. I loved the Culture Series, my housing was amazing, and overall, I just loved the whole experience. Serena, Kuselwa, and Loyiso were especially amazing and helped me out all the time. Cape Town is also an amazing place to spend the summer, and I loved getting to be there and explore the city.

At my internship, I loved working on the Amathole Project questionnaire, helping with the user experience of the organization’s website, and designing and collecting data for a study started by a previous intern. The organization works with public health data that helps track the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and it was valuable to contribute to that work.

I always felt like I could reach out to the VAC staff for support, which was very comforting. The VACtivities I attended were amazing, and I always had so much fun—especially at Babylonstoren. I was also so impressed by my housing experience. When I made suggestions, they implemented them!