From creative pursuits and global adventures to careers shaped by language, design and a curiosity for the world, these three IGS alums share the diverse paths they have taken since graduation.
ELIE BITTOUN 1998
I graduated from IGS in 1998. I went on to complete a degree in Audio Technology at AIM around 2000 — right as many recording studios were beginning to shut down.
Since then, I’ve travelled extensively, particularly throughout Europe and Asia, though New York remains my favourite city. I grew up in Redfern and still live here today.
Professionally, I work full-time in graphic design and printing, having completed a Certificate IV in Graphic Design. Alongside that, I continue to make music from my home studio and hold art exhibitions roughly twice a year.
My memories of IGS are extensive — I was there from kindergarten through to Year 12, so in many ways I grew up within the school. I experienced its evolution from the Surry Hills factory days to the Ultimo campus. Looking back, I don’t think I fully appreciated at the time how open and accepting the environment was, with its strong multicultural and multiracial community — something that stands out even more in contrast to the wider world.
Laura McFarlane 2018
After school, I studied Early Childhood Education at TAFE and worked at Grill’d during that time. During my time at TAFE, I learnt that if I really enjoyed the subject, then I put in my all. I met some amazing people who helped me get into the industry and explore more opportunities.
From there, I got my Diploma in ECE and worked in an early learning centre during COVID. In 2022, I became a nanny and did that for the following few years, along with teaching French in childcare centres for ages 0 to 5 year olds. This came out of the blue but was something I really enjoyed: teaching a new language to children.
Along the way, I felt like I wanted to travel more and do more with my time and knowledge. I decided to do a ski season at Thredbo and it helped me feel more comfortable to move to London in 2025. That ski season and job helped me fall back in love with skiing and wanting to ski in different countries around the world!
Last year, I was fortunate enough to travel to twelve new countries and so many cities. My favourite was probably Budapest, Hungary or Oslo and Tromso, Norway. I went to these countries with friends I had made in London which was so much fun. Learning about the history and culture of these countries was so fascinating!
These days I’m based in Switzerland as I work as a live-in nanny for a family. My days are spent running around this small ski village, speaking French and looking after the children. I get to ski on my days off and I go to cities and towns not too far from them. I also get to travel to new countries with the family!
Looking back, IGS helped with my language development and being able to continue that in my work now. I wish I knew back in 2018 the opportunities I would get from following my dreams and never giving up!
ROWAN LEAR 2012
After school, I saved up my dollars working at a local toy shop, converted them to Euros and took a gap year with fellow IGS alums Jack Skelley and Pip Goold. While there, we returned to Rovereto, Italy, where we had done exchange a couple of years prior, reuniting with many friendly faces. Toward the end of my trip, I ended up spending a few months living in Groningen in the Netherlands where I started learning German.
I came back to Sydney to begin an architecture degree at UTS where I also continued my German studies and had the opportunity to travel to Norway as part of the 2016 Oslo Architecture Triennale.
In 2020, I relocated to Europe to finish my studies in Berlin, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought me back to Sydney, tail between my legs in March that year.
Along the way, I picked up a collaborative project in imagining the future of sustainable burial, with installations shown in Oslo, London, Berlin and Versailles, with possibly something big and more local in the works soon.
These days I am a registered architect, working at TZG Architects for proud IGS parent Peter Tonkin, designing new additions to and in older buildings, keeping them useful into the 21st Century – not unlike fitting a school into a few old wool warehouses in Ultimo! Alongside my work at TZG, I also pick up the occasional writing job and teach at the UTS Architecture school, where I sometimes see faces from the younger years of IGS, though there aren’t too many that I still recognise these days.
Looking back, my time at IGS has left me with a real curiosity for unconventional ways of doing things and an appreciation for the different and the shared values and approaches of people in other places and cultures.
