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WITWAT Triple Play #35

Across different decades, countries and professions, our alums continue to build meaningful careers, contribute to their communities and pursue their passions in unique ways. In this WITWAT triple play you will read about three former students whose stories reflect the many directions an IGS education can lead, while highlighting the enduring connections and values that continue to unite them.

ALICE ANDERSON 2007

After school, I did a gap year overseas in Canada and the UK before returning to Sydney, where I studied Certificate IV in Business at TAFE. I loved the people side of things, so I ended up with two Diplomas in Community Services and Business Management. I started working in the Disability Services sector and went to study a Bachelor of Arts in Organisational Learning at UTS. From there, I started working in recruitment, human resources and community development roles.

Along the way, I have continued my volunteering and community involvement that I started as a teenager, which was highly encouraged at IGS. I thrive on helping others and getting out there to make a positive change.

These days, I’m living in the Bankstown area with my partner Felix (he/they) and our cat, Duke. Felix and I met through volunteering for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 3 years ago during Sydney World Pride. So we have the shared value of helping out others. I work as a Sector Development Coordinator at The Centre for Volunteering (peak body of NSW).

Looking back on my time at IGS (13 years in total!) I have very fond memories of the school community. So many lovely, kind, creative and interesting folks. I’m always excited to meet an alum or a current student/teacher. They always seem to have some part of the school culture with them. I’m always happy to talk about volunteering, so feel free to contact me @aka.alikat.

Thank everyone who made my IGS experience such a wonderful one!

 

A woman with auburn hair, wearing a blue jacket and white blouse, sits smiling in a chair in a bright, modern room with a table and black chairs in the background.
A student with long red hair, wearing a white uniform shirt with an IGS logo, stands smiling in front of a purple wall and a sign reading International Grammar School. A toy panda sits on the table beside her.
A group of secondary school students in uniform sit at desks in a classroom, some writing or smiling, with lockers and wooden columns in the background.
A smiling person with straight brown hair and a pink shirt stands indoors near a large display for the Mardi Gras Film Festival, decorated with heart and film reel graphics.
Two people sit closely together smiling at a restaurant table with partially eaten food and drinks, including champagne, in a lively, colourful atmosphere with other people and lights in the background.
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black blouse with white polka dots, sits at a table. Behind her is a colourful tiled wall covered with various painted designs. A plant is visible on the right.
Screenshot

 

KLARA GIOURGAS (left in 1994)

I attended IGS from preschool (in 1985! Don’t do the maths…) until mid-way through year 7 before moving to Athens, Greece.

Growing up in Greece is probably what shaped me the most during adolescence and I feel very fortunate to have had that experience. After graduating from high school, I moved to New York and completed university before moving to NYC to complete my M.A. in Psychology. After six years in the US, I decided I wanted to be closer to my family, so I moved back to Athens, Greece, where I worked as a youth drug addiction counsellor for 4 years. It was a very challenging experience, but I met some incredible people along the way. It taught me that people can only change if they really want to and if they have at least one person that truly believes in them.

I moved back to Australia in 2012. These days I am mum to three daughters, Georgia, Meli and Zoe, two of whom are twins! We live in Surry Hills and absolutely love the community and friends who have become family over time. My husband owns a small deli in Paddington called Omeio so we spend most weekends eating.

My most memorable experience from IGS is the language program and the amazing community. IGS offered Greek back then, which was my second language. I also started Spanish as a third language in year 7. 

Fun fact: I recently started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and despite being truly terrible at it, it’s a lot of fun!

I have come full circle returning to IGS and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this incredible community. 

 

A woman with long brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a light green jacket over a white top and standing against a plain light background.
A young girl with light brown hair and a missing front tooth smiles for a school portrait. She wears a dark checked dress with a yellow-trimmed collar and sits against a light blue background in a decorative frame.
A woman wearing glasses and a brown jumper sits holding papers next to a screen displaying a presentation titled BEGINNING AT THE BEGINNING: KLARA GIOURGAS, Early Learning Enrolments Administrator.
A 1991 class photo of primary school children in uniform, with three rows of pupils and a female teacher standing on the right. A black sign in front reads “The International Grammar School Sydney 1991 4C.”.
A smiling group of five children and two adults pose together outdoors. The children, wearing festive red outfits, sit in front, while the adults stand behind them. A school and other children are visible in the background.

 

STATHI WEIR 2013

After finishing school, I took a gap year to travel around Europe with fellow IGS alum Alex Nagy. Upon returning to Sydney, I commenced a Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering and Computer Science at UNSW.  I decided to break up my studies halfway through and deferred for a semester to go backpacking around South America with another IGS friend, Jack Stewart. While my Spanish is admittedly a little rusty, the classes I took in year 7 and 8 at IGS definitely came in handy! In the last couple of years at uni I got involved with the RoboCup team at UNSW. This experience was a big help in solidifying the skills I was learning in my coursework and really sparked my interest in finding a career in robotics.

After I graduated, I started working as a software engineer at a marine robotics startup in Rozelle. I worked on building robots to clean and inspect ship hulls, as an alternative to toxic anti-foul paint, to help reduce fuel consumption. This job aligned really nicely with my personal interests as a keen scuba diver, freediver and someone passionate about ocean conservation.

I moved to San Francisco in September last year to start a new role at another marine robotics company. I have been loving living in California and have been fortunate enough to do some more travelling for work, including trips to Western Australia and the east coast of the US, where we are involved with a couple of seagrass restoration projects.

Looking back, I’m so grateful for the lifelong friends I made at IGS, some of whom I have known since preschool!  Despite being scattered across different cities around the world, we still hop on regular group calls to catch up.

 

A man wearing sunglasses and a cap smiles for a selfie on a sandy beach, with the Golden Gate Bridge and blue sky visible in the background. Waves are gently rolling onto the shore.
Five people stand together indoors, smiling at the camera. One person in the centre holds a clear award. The group appears casually dressed except for one man in a suit. A list and a trophy are visible in the background.
Three smiling children wearing sports kit and medals stand together with arms around each other at an outdoor sports event, in front of a Weetabix tent. Other participants and green trees are visible in the background.
Three people stand closely together and smile in front of a wooden fence and green leafy plants. Two young men flank a woman wearing sunglasses, and all appear happy and relaxed outdoors.
A smiling child in a white polo shirt stands by green stadium seats near a running track on a sunny day. People are seated in the stands and more are on the track in the background.
A teenage boy with light skin, short brown hair, and blue eyes is smiling at the camera. He is wearing a blue button-up shirt over a white T-shirt. The background is indoors with people sitting at tables.
Four smiling children in white school uniforms stand close together in front of a colourful mural, with three of them linking arms. One child wears a red cap.
Two students in lab coats and gloves work in a laboratory. One holds a pipette, demonstrating its use to the other. Laboratory equipment and safety items are visible in the background.
Three men wearing sunglasses smile for a selfie on an empty, sunlit road in a desert landscape with mountains in the distance under a clear blue sky.

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