Dr. Napoleon Rodezno
Dr. Napoleon Rodezno
Country of origin: El Salvador
Occupation: Deputy Principal/Lecturer
State of Residency: Victoria
Favourite place in Australia: Mornington Peninsula
Upon arrival: Surprised how cold Melbourne is!
Edited by Natalia Serrano Chavez y Lucy Coulson
Dr. Napoleon Rodezno is an educator with extensive experience in both secondary and tertiary education. He currently serves as Deputy Principal at Aquinas College, Ringwood, and previously held the same role at Kolbe Catholic College, Greenvale Lakes. In 2025, he will be the Principal of the Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Braybrook. Dr. Rodezno has taught in Catholic schools across Melbourne and Queensland, specialising in English, English as an Additional Language, Humanities, Religious Education, and Literacy. He also lectures in the Master of Education program at the Australian Catholic University, focusing on Applied Psychology in Education and Student Wellbeing. In addition to his educational leadership, Dr. Rodezno serves as a board member of CRISPAZ, an organisation dedicated to promoting peace for the people of El Salvador.
TELL US YOUR STORY
I arrived in Australia as a 15-year-old, fleeing the Salvadoran civil war in March 1987. I migrated with my parents, younger brother and sister. The war had deeply impacted our family, prompting my parents to seek asylum to protect us. Thankfully, Australia gave us the opportunity to start anew. On 19 March 1987, I arrived in this wonderful country as a refugee, carrying little more than a small bag of belongings, barely any money, no English, and great fear, but filled with dreams and aspirations for the future. The war in El Salvador had taken its toll, and arriving here offered us a new direction. Migrating as refugees brought many challenges, and we experienced the difficulties of having low social capital in the Australian context. We did not speak English, struggled to understand the culture and felt extremely isolated. All that we cherished was left behind, and starting anew was far from easy.
Napoleon with his parents: Napoleon Senior and Ana Lillian.
For the first five weeks, we lived at the Midway Migrant Hostel in Maribyrnong, in Melbourne’s inner-western suburbs. The centre hosted migrants from all over the world, and it was here that I saw multiculturalism at its best. Despite the obstacles and challenges we all faced, regardless of our backgrounds, the circumstances that brought us here, or our ethnicities, each of us had a story to tell. We embraced the excitement of the unknown each time we gathered to eat in the massive dining hall, visited the entertainment room, or explored the great metropolis of Highpoint Shopping Centre.
Through a charity, we were fortunate to be placed in a rental property in Ashwood, a leafy suburb in Melbourne’s east. My father soon began working with Telecom (Telstra), and the rest of us followed his lead, slowly settling, integrating, and eventually assimilating into the wonderful country we now call home.
I experienced two consecutive displacements — first leaving my school and friends in El Salvador, and five weeks later, leaving the safety of the migrant hostel. In Ashwood, although the people were friendly and the environment positive, everything felt foreign and I struggled with homesickness. I often sought opportunities to visit friends from the hostel who now lived in the inner-west, their lives having taken different paths away from the safety and community of Midway Migrant Hostel.
Eventually, I learned to speak English, graduated from school and attended university, studying Psychology, Linguistics and Sociology. I initially planned a career in psychotherapy or audiology, but my interest in education, inspired by strong teachers during my journey, led me in a different direction. My curiosity and love for knowledge motivated further studies, including a Master of Education and a Doctorate. Today, I am an educational leader, teaching at both secondary schools and universities.
I am deeply committed to empowering young people through education, designing programs that foster curiosity and support student development as independent learners. Drawing on Vygotskian Theory, I promote teaching practices that emphasise inclusive, supportive, and socially enabling contexts to help students achieve their full potential. My work in Australia includes reimagining project-based learning, inspired by my own experiences as a student at Instituto Tecnico Ricaldone in El Salvador. There, I developed projects rooted in experiential learning and student interests, a methodology I continue to refine and implement.
CHALLENGES
A life left behind - Leaving El Salvador and many of my family and friends was the biggest challenge in the early days. This was aided by the fact that communication was limited, with a three to four week turn around for letters. Many of our friends stopped writing, and I suspect that this was due to fear. This is understandable, as they were not aware as to the reasons why we had left and under what political reasons.
The English language - English was a difficult language to master. Its roots derived from the West-Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, whilst Spanish from the Romantic branch. This allowed me to understand Italians and Portuguese people when I first arrived but made my pronunciation and expression challenging in English. When you add the Australian accent and its colloquialisms, the task of speaking English can be daring! This was one of my biggest challenges in life.
Finding peace - The other key challenge I experienced was finding peace and settling when life as a child had been so traumatic and unstable. As an older person, I now appreciate with greater indignation that nothing can prepare a person for the ups and downs of life. In my case, finding peace in the face of adversity was the greatest challenge I encountered and something that continues to present itself when I reflect on what I experienced. I now feel at peace, but it was not easy.
CONTRASTS AND SIMILARITIES
Individualism - When I arrived here, I could not believe that everything was dark at 6pm and that people shut their doors and blinds, and went indoors instead of gathering outdoors, like we did in El Salvador. People in Australia seemed to be less welcoming of celebrating in community. There was little to no coffee culture in 1987, unless you visited Lygon Street.
Napoleon representing the State of Victoria at the AFL Masters Games.
The school system - School here in Australia was very different to El Salvador. Students seemed to have more freedom and engagement in classrooms was vastly different. I was used to listening to instructions and working quietly thereafter. Here, socialisation formed a big part of learning for students, whose interactions positively impacted the learning.
Footy - The first time that I watched a game of Australian Rules Football, I thought that the players were playing American Football with no protective gear. It took me a while to realise that if I had made mention of this back in those days, I would have offended my peers. There is nothing like footy in El Salvador and soccer was in its infancy here in Australia at the time.
PIECE OF ADVICE
Immerse in the culture and take chances - This is a wonderful country, and its multiculturalism is its greatest asset. Eat the food, engage with the people, and visit the pockets that hold ethnic identities such as Footscray, Carlton, Fitzroy, St Kilda and Dandenong.
Learn the language - By joining social clubs where conversation practice can enhance your language proficiency and networking. Spanish is a language of great interest to many Australians and can offer you the opportunity to develop connections with locals. If you have an idea, the passion to see it come true and the motivation to work hard, then the sky's the limit.
Engage with the local organisations - Mental health is important, and you should never have to deal with adversity on your own. There are many places Latin American and Spanish support agencies that offer support and advice. If you study here, your institution has the responsibility of offering support as well.
Make it stand out
Napoleon with his family - hiw wife Jennifer, son Zachary, daurgher Malaya, and dog Bumblebee.
IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS…
Dr. Napoleon Rodezno is passionate about fostering global solidarity among young people. He envisions developing a program that connects young Australians with their peers in El Salvador to collaboratively address the challenges faced by their communities. Through shared learning experiences, participants would engage with experts to explore issues such as poverty, climate change, and the rights and challenges of Indigenous peoples. Dr. Rodezno believes this initiative would empower young people to support each other in creating actionable response plans to tackle these pressing challenges.