Barbara Ellington 
Mrs. Joan Aarons - Dennis Coke
SEVENTY-FIVE years ago, Alpha Business College began with one female student. Today, thousands of women have earned diplomas as stenographer/typists in general secretarial courses and bookkeeping from the institution.
Mrs. Joan Aarons, now 85 years old, still teaches at the institution having started
there 40 years ago. And as the college gets ready to celebrate the milestone this weekend, Mrs. Aarons told Flair, "I have no plans to stop 'till the Lord stops me. God has something special for me to do and I'm doing it."
Now widowed, Mrs. Aarons was also a student of Alpha and moved on to St. Anthony's Academy in Port Antonio where she studied before taking up a position with the United States Airforce Base at Vernamfield, Clarendon.
"I worked in the personnel department but while there, they needed a teacher for the children of the officers on the base so I worked at that and left when the base was deactivated.
One of the pioneers of the Co-operative movement, Mrs. Aarons also worked at St. George's College extension school and Durham College.
Her face radiates as she recalls meeting her late husband and starting a family before taking up the post at Alpha with a group of 35 in the Commercial C class.
She helped to set the entry qualifications and was there for the addition to the physical facilities in 1963 and 1971.
As the longest serving member of staff, Mrs. Aarons will be honoured during the week of celebratory activities which begin on November 10.
Like most of her peers, Mrs. Aarons enjoys her work. "I love to see the gradual improvement in the students from an attitude of just doing it to one that says, I can see what this will do for me", she said.
Age has not prevented her from keeping pace with current trends and in 1998 Mrs. Aarons became computer literate. "I never pass up an opportunity to learn, I learnt five systems of Shorthand and am a registered teacher of three, she says of the subject that intrigues her.
Mrs. Aarons enjoys reading the classic, detective stories, mysteries and, these days, topics that are lighter in content.
Looking towards the ceremony to honour past teacher, Mrs. Aarons said she would not have done anything else with her life given the chance to do it again.
"I see big changes in the educational background of the students; today, the ones with more exam passes have more tertiary institutions to choose from. Some of them come into the college because there's nothing else for them to do but in the early days, we got the cream of the crop."
At Alpha Business College, she encourages students to see their course as a stepping stone to further development. A believer in upholding dignity at all times, she continues to look for the good in everything and trusts that God will continue to help Jamaicans who are resilient and hard working.
