Jude Tedder
Tennessee, USA
2021

Jude recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee.  She joined the VACorps program in June 2021 and participated in an internship at a refugee center based in Cape Town. 

“My time with the VACorps truly has been a life-changing experience. I came across this opportunity since it was one of the only countries with programs available during Covid, but I think that is just one example of the universe working things out for the best. If I could go back and have more options I would choose a placement in Cape Town one thousand times over. It is easy to look at doing a program like this and make an educated guess about how much you will learn and the different aspects of the culture you will be exposed to, but in reality, it’s more than you could ever imagine. Being a part of a group of like-minded individuals who would take on a crazy journey like this just proves that the people make the place. The people in Cape Town are by far the most hospitable, welcoming, and friendly faces on the planet. All of the Vac-activities I got to be a part of ensured that I experienced all the best South Africa has to offer. Plus, if you have activities you really want to do, the VACorps staff with make sure they put you in contact with the best people who will give you the best deals. Overall, if you are asking yourself why Cape Town, the real question would be “Why not Cape Town?” It’s the most beautiful place on the planet with some of the most beautiful people to keep you company.”

View Refugee Internships

Meet our most recent VACorps program alumni:

Chris Doe, Massachussets, USA (2023)

Chris joined the VACorps program in January 2023 as part of his Gap year and participated in a human rights internship.  I decided to come to Cape Town to do an internship because I […]

Nico Theunissen, New York, USA (2023)

Nico joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 as part of his Gap year and participated in an internship at a clean energy engineering company.  “Living in New York City, coming to Cape Town […]

Derya Tunçaral, Istanbul, Turkey (2023)

Derya is a recent graduate of Istanbul Bilgi University where he earned his bachelor’s in International Relations. He joined the VACorps program in November 2022 and participated in a political science internship.  “It was […]

Isabelle Ryan, Illinois, USA (2023)

Isabelle joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 as part of her Gap year and participated in a business internship.  “Originally, I was nervous about coming to Cape Town. I had never been so […]

Alize Serez, Istanbul, Turkey, (2023)

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 […]

Carley Adams, Ontario, Canada, (2023)

Carley is a recent MSc graduate of the University of Edinburgh, specializing in Medical Anthropology. She joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 and participated in a public health internship.  “Cape Town is such […]

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