Supporting everyone to shine

Marejka entered the disability support sector via one of her other passions - musical theatre.

She was juggling several casual jobs after finishing high school when a former show director contacted her.

He asked if she’d be interested in teaching drama to people with disability.

“I said that sounds cool, I’m interested,” Marejka said.

“I got a casual position and then a job helping out with some of the other programs.”

“I just really enjoyed spending time with the adults in the program and enjoyed their company.”

It was the start of a long and varied career in the industry.

“I started working full time in disability and completed my traineeship and slowly took on more responsibility,” she said.

Marejka became a team leader, ran day programs, continued studying disability and later worked on strategy and skill development within the sector.

She joined InLife in 2021 as a Client Service Manager leading the Geelong regional team.

Marejka said one of her favourite things about working for InLife was the culture and continued face-to-face contact with clients.

“Another huge difference was how tech-savvy the organisation was, and the fact that we have support and people specialised in those areas is awesome.”

Marejka also discovered that she’d previously worked with one of the Geelong clients while choreographing a high school production.

The then-teenager’s wheelchair had been transformed to a “Bat-mobile” for one of the dance numbers!

Marejka’s advice for other people considering a career in disability:

“I think if you’re a people person you’ll enjoy disability and if you're a person who doesn't like to be bored and doesn't like each day to present the same way,” she said.

Personally, she'd love to continue exploring the leadership development space.

“I really love doing one-to-one mentoring and seeing people achieve their goals,” Marejka said.