Discover where life has taken Esin Saribatir (Class of 2003), Jonathan Tsang (Class of 2014) and Ella Geracitano (Class of 2016) — three alums whose adventures and achievements embody the spirit of IGS.
ESIN SARIBATIR 2003
After school, I majored in Psychology. Some volunteer work in Africa uncovered an interest in conflict work and, post uni, I joined the Defence Graduate Program in Canberra. I had some amazing grad rotations before settling into my final position within the Defence Intelligence Organisation as a military intelligence advisor.
I deployed on peacekeeping operations to Timor Leste where I met my other half, Maz, who was deployed as an Australian Army Officer there. We eventually left Defence and moved to Bosnia & Herzegovina – Maz’s homeland – to start a not-for-profit using sport to bridge social tensions between local ethnic groups, and to increase engagement with foreign military and security forces, and drive community development and charity work.
Three years later we left and moved to Sweden, where I worked as an innovation and strategy consultant for multinationals and then landed a role as the head of strategy and marketing for a global Swedish fintech company.
As we awaited the arrival of our firstborn, we decided to move back to Oz, settling on the Gold Coast in 2020 just as Covid closed the borders. Since then, I’ve taken the last few years off to spend time with our growing tribe of 3 children. We’re also now back in Sydney after almost two decades away. Scattered amongst the last 20 years is also field research in Fiji; working at the Defence Intelligence Agency and Pentagon in the US; presenting at the Defence Land Warfare Conference; campervanning through Europe; winning a title at the Bosnian olympic weightlifting nationals, running marathons with weight vests for charity; discovering that rather than Turkish I’m actually genetically Bosnian – and even more so than Maz, who was born in Bosnia; sledding with huskies in Norway; completing a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship; finally learning how to ride a bike and ticking a triathlon of my bucket list; almost 15 years of Muay Thai and a newfound love for Brazilian Ju Jitsu; journeys through meditation in various forms and countries, and some travel.
Ella Geracitano 2016
After school I went travelling and I remember visiting Rome and thinking, “One day I want to live here!” Seven years later – after university, COVID and a full-time job, the time finally felt right for a change.
I spent a year living in Rome, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have to thank all my Italian teachers from Year 1 to 12 – without you I wouldn’t have survived!
Navigating Italian bureaucracy and a Roman rental crisis wasn’t easy, but I managed to find an apartment, land a job at a cafe and take on some incredible projects such as producing a YouTube series with a well known food writer and creating social media content for a cooking school — both fun and amazing opportunities.
Learning a second language in school was truly a gift, and I’m so grateful for it. If any language students are reading this, don’t give up!
My time abroad really helped me figure out what I want to do and now, six months after returning to Sydney, I’m working as a producer at a creative studio that specialises in crafting content for some of Australia’s leading hospitality venues, food, drink and travel brands.
Jonathan Tsang 2014
After graduating from IGS, I’ve had the privilege of spending six months in Tokyo for an exchange program, three and a half years working in Hong Kong, and I am now entering my third year living and working as a digital performance analyst in London.
I’ve still kept my love for photography from my Art days in IGS, and that has driven me to see and capture what else there is in the world, especially the lovely cities in Europe and Asia. I’m passionate about recommending where to go and what to do for visiting friends (where to eat, what to see, where to take photos).
I’m very happy to have so many friends that live very close and far from me.
