Hello everybody. Just when you thought we had no more nominations for IGS Alum of the Year, here come two absolute ‘crackers’!
I would like more! So here is your reminder: If you would like to nominate an Alum for our inaugural IGS Alum of the Year award please email paulg@igssyd.nsw.edu.au and include a short summary of why the alum has been nominated.
Candidates should be nominated by a fellow Alum, and their achievements should represent the values of IGS and have some aspect of giving back to the wider community. This need not be on a grand scale; in fact the “unsung” hero or heroine could be doing great things in an area or field not seen by the many.
So, get thinking about who you could nominate. Don’t be shy. You could be the one who has the honour of nominating the inaugural IGS Alum of the Year!
Paul Galea
IGS Director of Advancement
The words below are those of the nominators, who remain anonymous.
Sam Varian (2014)
I would like to nominate Sam Varian (2014). Not only has he dealt with his sister having cancer and the trauma that comes with that, but he has now taken the political world in Melbourne by force. He is with RMIT, which is a university down in Melbourne. At the moment he is writing political articles and is the social media content producer for Schwartz Media. Sam basically runs all their social media channels and works with journalists to make sure all the content is data-informed so younger subscribers grow and the younger generation become more informed about the political world. When the election was on he was asked by RMIT to come down and give his political views on the different districts and how the votes would turn out. He is now a budding journalist who has been asked to write articles for Schwartz Media.
Samuel Garrett (2016)
I would love to nominate 2016 graduate Samuel Garrett for IGS Alum of the Year.
Sam Garrett is an outstanding member of the IGS community. He has inspired generations of writers with his work in student journalism and engages in important geopolitical analysis as a junior analyst at Geopolitical Futures.
He unsuccessfully ran for Honi Soit in 2019 on the ticket “Pictures of Spider-Man for Honi” with co-alum Maxim Adams, giving non-joke ticket favourites “Spice for Honi” a run for their money. Later, in 2021, Sam was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Honi Soit editorial team where he commanded universal love and respect from students and readers. Some of his standout works include “How to Launch a Campus Coup”, “Speedrunning Campus”, and “A History of the University Carillon”. His light-hearted comedy article, “Chile extends Olympic record for most Olympic Games without an Olympic record” inspired hoards of passionate nationalistic messages, swiftly becoming one of the publication’s most read articles. More recently, Sam wrote an outstanding feature article for PULP Magazine on LEGO Pompeii. But beyond the realms of student journalism, Sam has had his finger on the pulse of campus life more broadly. A former Secretary and Publications Director of Sydney University’s Model United Nations Society, a former Publications Director of the Diplomats Society, and the almost President of the University’s LEGO Club (before it failed to reach quorum at its AGM), Sam has given his body and mind to civic service. He has further taken this exceptional record international — studying in Lebanon and Indonesia.
Sam’s spectacular history extends beyond campus life. He has travelled through every train station in Sydney. And further, accompanied by co-alumni Maxim Adams, successfully submitted a portrait to the Archibald Prize. Few people have covered as much of New South Wales on foot as Sam, competing in countless races on various terrain from bushland to the towering staircases of Barangaroo. IGS would be so lucky to have such an accomplished Alum of the Year with such great exploring credentials and a passion for campus curiosities.
