After 23 years in the World Language department, Spanish teacher Janette Araya retired in December 2022 and continues to be an active member of her community through language-related outreach.

Araya attended The King’s College in New York for undergraduate and received her masters degree in Hispanic Literature from Southern Connecticut State University. She held various teaching positions in private schools, inner city public schools and universities before being hired at Algonquin in 1998. One of the most interesting job experiences she has had, in her opinion, was her time spent as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking helicopter mechanics.

According to Araya, the Algonquin students and faculty will be missed most as she moves into the next chapter of her life. She hopes that her influence on students has made them more receptive to new experiences, beyond their World Language studies.

“If students took away one thing from my class, I think it would be to be open to learning about other cultures,” Araya said.

Since her retirement last winter, Araya has been involved with the Worcester-based volunteer organization Welcoming Alliance for Refugee Ministry (WARM) as a teacher to Afghan women. As a volunteer conversation partner, Araya uses her knowledge of language education in order to help newly arrived refugees become accustomed to the English language. In addition, she is grateful for the opportunity to see her loved ones more often and familiarize herself with new cultures through travel.

“One of the things I’m doing is tutoring English to Afghan refugees,” Araya said. “[I’m also] traveling and spending time with family and friends.”

World Language Department Head Emily Squires emphasizes the impact Araya has had on her colleagues and students during her time at Algonquin, in addition to being Squires’s own friend and mentor.

“We miss her kindness,” Squires said. “She has a very calm and gentle energy and she was able to offer a lot of wisdom because of all her experience. We definitely miss that perspective at times; I know I do since I started being department chair.”

According to Squires, Araya’s years of experience caused her to stand out as an instructor and made her well equipped for the role of department head.

“She brought a lot of knowledge, and a wide variety of teaching strategies to help a wide variety of students,” Squires said.