As the year comes to a close, I wanted to reflect upon the amazing year we've had at the Volunteer Adventure Corps (www.vacorps.com)!

We originally designed our international internship program to attract the best and brightest participants from across the world. I am happy to say, almost two years after the inception of our professional internship program, we have achieved this goal!

For a shining example of our incredible 2007 participant base, I need look no further than to Christine Nichols, who worked as a marketing intern at La Couronne Wine Estate in Franschoek, South Africa. Christine made such an impression with La Couronne that she will return to the U.S. to become the sole distributor of La Couronne Wines in the U.S.A. Christine started her internship in September with a passion for wine and now returns to the U.S. as the founder of a wine distribution company.

The success stories continue. Jessica Bennett worked with the Cape Town Refugee Centre from February to April and was immediately hired as a consultant with the Ford Foundation in Washington D.C. Jamie Kelly returned to California in late November to a series of interview with top advertising agencies in the U.S.

Why are the participants of the Volunteer Adventure Corps experiencing such amazing levels of success after graduating from our program? Quite simply, a professional internship in Cape Town, South Africa is an amazing experience to add to a professional resume. In a world where a premium is placed upon the ability to communicate within a global context, this is one of the best places to gain international work experience!

I can't wait to begin receiving more amazing participants in 2008!