The journeys of our IGS alum reflect courage, creativity and conviction. In this edition, we reconnect with Adam Marks (Class of 2009) whose path has taken him from drama school to theatre stages across Australia; Maeve Galea (Class of 2016) now building a dynamic career as a freelance writer working between Sydney and London and Arri Roumeliotis (Class of 2017) who followed his instincts into architecture and is preparing for his next chapter abroad.
Adam Marks (2009)
After leaving IGS I did a Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University. I did quite a few plays with SUDs, the drama society at Sydney Uni. I also travelled quite a lot, doing a uni exchange at Sheffield University in England with the Erasmus Program. I also spent a fair bit of time travelling in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Back in Sydney, I started doing plays again, with AYTP and other organisations. I auditioned for and was accepted to both NIDA in Sydney and WAAPA in Perth. I decided to study at WAAPA. It was a dream come true and validated my drive to become an actor. The course was full-time and full on for three years. After this I signed on with a big agent and tried to make a living as an actor. This is not easy. In fact, of the 18 from my WAAPA class, only two are making a living acting full-time. In the last few years, I have directed a short film, worked in theatre at the Belvoir, worked as a trivia host, taught acting at NIDA and the Young Actors Assembly, written and directed plays and worked as a tour guide on the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. I have just done a one man show called Victory Lap at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
I am still best mates with John Nicitaa and Floyd Sen from my year group at IGS and I have worked in theatre with Thuso Lekwepe, so I still have a pretty strong connection to my old school.
Maeve Galea (2016)
After school, I took a gap year, then started a double degree in International Studies and Communications at UTS, with dreams of becoming a publicist.
From there I did a few internships and realised PR wasn’t for me. I was reassessing my options over the summer of 2018 when my dad came home with the email address of a woman he’d hit it off with in an Uber Pool who happened to be the features editor at Marie Claire. A few months later I was interning with her one day a week while still at uni. I really clicked with the work and the team, and after about six months, they gave me a job as a junior features writer.
Along the way I spent a year in Argentina for my degree. I arrived in March 2020, just before lockdown and stayed the whole year, which was – against all odds – one of the best experiences of my life. Back in Sydney in 2021, I freelanced while finishing my degree, then travelled again with friends after graduating. In early 2023 my old boss at Marie Claire hired me at the relaunched InStyle.
These days .I’m a freelance writer, having left After school, I…InStyle about a year ago. Freelance life has its ups and downs but I’m enjoying the flexibility (I’m writing this from London) and this year I’ve worked on some very cool travel assignments for publications like AFR and ELLE, including stories that took me to the Galápagos Islands, Hong Kong and Turkey.
Looking back school gave me a lot. My closest friends are still the ones I made there and being able to speak another language has been the best thing ever, especially when travelling.
Alongside my editorial work I do a bit of comms consulting and copywriting for small businesses, so if you need a hand feel free to reach out!
ARRI ROUMELIOTIS (2017)
I was far from academic during School, but from Year 11 onwards I decided to knuckled down. After graduating from IGS in 2017, I got to work in my two jobs: as a construction labourer by day and a bartender by night, which eventually bought me three months of travel in Europe. This adventure brought so much confidence and excitement into my life and when I returned, studying a Bachelor of Business at UTS no longer excited me at all (I’m sorry Mr White).
My gut told me to study Industrial Design. And so I did…Until one fateful day I decided that what I really wanted to become was an Architect. My hard work paid off and I was able to transfer into a degree with ATAR requirements ‘out the Wazoo’ – far beyond the capabilities for my High School self.
Fast forward five years, I have a Master’s Degree in Architecture and several years of experience under my belt. I’m stoked with the life I’ve built here in Sydney and all the amazing friends I have around me.
Studying at UTS after graduating at IGS means I’ve never truly made it out of the ‘hood’. And so in one month I’ll be flying back to Europe to live in the Netherlands…Wish me luck!
