Luke (pictured on the right) joined the VACorps program as part of his GAP year where he participated in an internship at a small tourism company in Cape Town. Luke will begin his studies at Tulane University in New Orleans in the fall of 2021. 

“Cape Town is a lovely place that has everything to offer. From the day I got here, the layout was beautiful: one side has beautiful mountains, the other side has the vast ocean and gorgeous beaches. As for internships, people are rewarded by the effort they put in. These small local businesses have so much on their plate already. They owe us nothing as interns, so it’s our responsibility to take initiative and demonstrate a desire to learn new things. I’ll never forget driving the boat while looking at the beautiful city to my port side. I’ll never forget seeing a huge humpback whale 100 meters away from our boat. I love that the people here think it’s so cool that I’m from America. I’ll miss getting into interesting conversations with random locals I meet while I’m out and about. I would recommend that people stay as long as they can and do the most activities they can. I’d recommend that you bring a personal camera, it’s a great way to capture moments that you’ll remember in the future. The VAC staff are incredibly helpful and do an outstanding job at making everyone feel welcomed. The weekly activities are also a blast. I’m most grateful for VACorps staff availability. Anytime I needed anything from them, they’d offer me help diligently and effectively.”