Alexis Sergio Esposto
“Adapting between cultures, embracing challenges, and building bridges—this is how we grow, connect, and create meaningful impact”
Alexis Esposto
Occupation: Dean at Danford Higher Education
State of Residency: Victoria
Favourite place in Australia: Footscray
Biggest surprise when arriving in Australia: Melbourne CBD was a ghost town after 5 pm.
Story edited by Cristina Abela
He is an accomplished academic and higher education leader with extensive experience in economics and business education. Formerly a Research Economist at the Institute of Social Research and Senior Lecturer at Swinburne University, he specialized in housing and labor market inequalities, Development Economics, and International Finance. He also led the Economics discipline and supervised PhD students.
Recognized for excellence in teaching, he received the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Award, presented by former Minister of Education and Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. His research and strategic work in promoting bilateral trade between Australia and Latin America earned him the prestigious Escarapela Award from the Argentine Congress, honoring his role in fostering cross-national engagement and understanding.
For the past five years, he has served as Dean at Danford Higher Education, where he established the Faculty of Business and is leading its expansion into STEM programs, including Information Technology and Civil Engineering degrees, set to launch in 2025. His leadership supports Melbourne’s infrastructure growth and Australia’s demand for skilled professionals.
He also collaborates internationally, conducting workshops and teaching in China, strengthening academic ties and promoting best practices in higher education.
TELL US YOUR STORY
I arrived in Australia on May 31, 1975. There I moved to Midway hostel in Maribyrnong. Luckily there were many kids from Uruguay, Argentina and Chile at the time and we are still friends. I went to Maribyrnong high school. Then I moved to Lakeside HS, in Reservoir. My first job, at 14 years of age, was working in a jewellery and arts shop. I used to spray paint classical Greek and Roman statues which would be placed in the gardens of Greek and Italian families in the suburbs of Melbourne. I used to work on Saturdays. I saved my money to buy a bicycle, which I had for years. When I finished high school I went to Latrobe university to study economics and then I did my Bachelor of Education. When I was at university, studying economics, I used to work as a cleaner and used to clean the offices at the National Australia Bank at 500 Bourke Street. When I finished my economics degree I got a job working at the NAB as a manager and for a short period of time at the office which I used to clean. I hated the job but later realised that I had learnt a lot about working with Australians.
When I moved from Maribyrnong to Reservoir at 15 years old, I still saw some of my friends. One of the groups of Latino friends I had were very wild and one night we had decided to steal a car. I was in Flemington and returned home to get a couple of things, and my father asked me if I had done my homework. I remembered that on Monday I had a maths test and stayed home to study. Luckily, I didn’t meet my friends who stole the car and crashed it at Tullamarine freeway in 1976. They got into a lot of trouble. One of the kids became a famous criminal in Victoria. No more details. 😊
My first teaching job was at Midway Hostel in 1986. We had a lot of students from Latin America. One of the head teachers told me to read stories in Spanish to students of one of the primary school teachers. The stories I told were very welcomed by the students and the female primary school teacher. Anyway, the teacher’s name is Donna, and we have been an item for 40 years and we now have two beautiful daughters, Ciara (27 years old) and Beatrice (24 years old). Donna is the love of my life and she is my best friend. We love travelling and spending time together. She is rock solid, very smart and very patient with me. She is very supportive and without her I would not have achieved all the things that I have. We have been together for 40 years and have two wonderful daughters who are women and are very independent. They are an amazing gift to me. Having a beautiful partner and friend in Donna is fantastic. She is a wonderful and loving mother, and luckily my daughters take after her.
E Tech Smart College colleagues in Chonburi Thailand
Together Donna and I set up an English language school in Thailand as part of an initiative with the government of the State of Victoria and the Eastern Technological College (E.TECH) in Chonburi, Thailand, 100 kms east of Bangkok. The college continues to teach English and many of the English teaching materials that Donna and I created are still being used.
I then changed careers and completed a PhD in labour economics. Upon completion of my PhD I worked at Swinburne University for 20 years. In 2020, during Covid, I was asked to set up a faculty of Business at Danford Higher Education. I set this up from zero and now the faculty is expanding to include STEM degrees, namely in IT and Civil Engineering.
I enjoy hiking, AFL football and continue to be in touch with my friends in all parts of the world. In Melbourne I’m lucky to have some great groups of friends. One is the sindicato Latino ( a group of Latin American men who also arrived in the 80s ) with whom I meet every Monday night at a pub and talk about lots of stuff and have lots of fun. I am also in touch with my high school friends from Maribyrnong High School. We get together almost on a monthly basis to have fun and share great memories and success stories. I also have another group of friends who are all Western Bullodgs supporters. They are all Australians and we watch religiously all the games of football. We have a biannual ‘Argie BBQ’ at my house. The first one is to talk about how the Bulldogs will go for the year. The end of year BBQ is to discuss the season and to provide a very special award to one of the members. The award is called the ‘Worst Bloke Award’ and is provided to the friend who behaved in the worst manner possible during the course of the year. The funny thing, is that the award is very competitive and the recipient of this lamentable award is always extremely proud.
CHALLENGES
Learning English ASAP - Learning English was not a challenge for me. My challenge was that I set myself the goal of learning English in six months. When I first arrived I was 14 years old. I wanted to fit in. It was hard. So I made sure that I learnt to speak like an “Aussie”. To do that I used to record horse races and Australian football games on the radio and transcribe them. Then I would read them, record them and repeat them until I got a perfect Australian accent. I used to listen to Harry "Pools" Bitzel on 3AW, and watch Lou Richards, Jack Dyer and Bob Davies in League Teams on Channel 7. These were icons of Victorian rules football in the seventies and eighties. I also listened to Bill Collins on 3 DB radio. He was an amazing race caller and I learnt a lot of English from him.
Cross Cultures - I struggled with adjusting with both cultures. I felt I needed to switch between one culture and another. I still do this but have managed to do this seamlessly. It is an amazing skill, because it allows me to fit in and adjust when I travel to Asia to work. I find the challenge fascinating and very enjoyable. It keeps me mentally very fit. I use this to adjust to an uncertain and rapidly changing world. This skill allowed me to adjust seamlessly in work I did in Thailand where I set up an English Language school in the E most prestigious private polytechnic. I designed the library, classrooms and the courses with great input from Donna. I even managed to get a satellite disk so that students could watch ABC TV and BBC radio. It was an amazing experience which prepared me for work later on in different parts of the world. I also set up the first Spanish-English bilingual program in Footscray. Based on my achievements I went on to teach at the Joaquin Turina School in an exchange program with the government of Spain and received an International Teaching Fellowship award from the Victorian Ministry of Education.
Adapting between cultures, embracing challenges, and building bridges—this is how we grow, connect, and create meaningful impact
Hard days but strong bonds - Looking after my brother who suffers from a mental illness can be a challenge at times, but it is very satisfying having two other brothers who together help him to stay safe and well.
CONTRASTS AND SIMMILARITIES
New Country, New Rules- I came to Australia as a 14-year-old teenager. I went to school with newly arrived migrants fleeing military dictatorships in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay mostly. One kid was from Bolivia and the other was from Ecuador. We went to Maribyrnong HS. School was a lot more free in Australia. We had less restrictions and we as Latin kids used to push the boundaries in a big way. I feel sorry for the amazing aussie teachers who were so patient with us.
Political Heat to Political Quiet - We came to Australia in a period of military dictatorships. Coming to live in Melbourne and at school especially was interesting to see how the students here did not have many political views. In Argentina, particularly in my school we were so politicised. Australia was a very stable country, compared to us. However, something that looked like a similarity in 1975, was that on 11 November, the labour prime minister was sacked by the infamous governor general Sir John Kerr. It felt like another Latin America coup d'etat.
Welcome Then, Business Now - Migrants in Australia were welcome. We arrived at a migrant hostel where migrants could integrate by mingling with other migrants from other parts of Latin America. I think I learnt more about Latin America in Australia than in Argentina by meeting so many Latin Americans in Australia. After only two years of residence my father was refunded all of the Arline tickets, which by then it was a large sum of money and could become permanent residents automatically. Nowadays, permanent residency in Australia has become a huge business that only benefits very rich migrants or lawyers.
PIECE OF ADVICE
Asian neighbors- Australia offers many opportunities. Embrace them, because we live in a part of the world that is very close to Asia and that can create many opportunities and a very interesting and fruitful life. Don’t be afraid of change and uncertainty because it is everywhere. Embrace it.
Learning, Not Repeating - Always follow your north, even when you make a mistake. However, always try not to make the same mistake again. Learn from your mistakes and do not repeat them. Every mistake is a lesson pointing you closer to the person you want to become.
Grow with the Right People - Always surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, who are humble and positive. You will always learn something new and grow continuously. Remember to return favors and always do the right thing.
Family time. Alexis, Donna, Beatrice and Ciara
IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS
He plans to continue working in Asia and Latin America to strengthen the bridge between these regions, positioning Australia as a central connection point. He is passionate about engaging with Latin America, Asia, Thailand, and China, as well as Australia’s role in this dynamic landscape. Looking ahead, he believes Latin America stands to gain significantly from Asia’s rapid development — its dynamism, technological innovation, advanced infrastructure, and rich cultural diversity. He envisions Australia playing a vital role in fostering these connections. Committed to this vision, he intends to keep publishing academic articles and is working on a collaborative book with partners in China that explores the Belt and Road Initiative and its future impact on Latin America.
Do you want to follow Alexis’ journey? Connect on Linkedin ,X @AlexisEsposto01 and Facebook.
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With love and gratitude - The Latin Stories Australia team