Springfield City Wire

News briefs from the HCC campus and beyond 

Being Colleen 
Growing up in Chicopee, Ashley Terron '23 dreamed of one day competing in the city's annual Colleen contest, and maybe representing Chicopee aboard a float in the Holyole St. Patrick's Day Parade. But one factor gave her pause. "Colleen means Irish girl," she said. "I'm Puerto Rican. Both my parents are Puerto Rican. I always thought you had to be Irish, but that's not true at all." Early in 2022, during her last year of eligibility, the 20-year-old HCC biology major finally mustered the courage to enter the contest. After several rounds of interviews with a panel of judges, she won. "I couldn't believe it," she said. "It was such an experience. It makes me emotional just thinking about it." As her tenure now draws to a close, Chicopee's 2022 Colleen visited campus during January break with her tiara, green sash, and corsage. "I'm sad, but I'm really grateful," she said. "There are a lot of responsibilities. I've met so many people and learned so many valuable skills throughout my year." Terron, who also works as a personal care assistant, is now looking forward to graduating with her associate's degree in June before entering HCC's medical assistant program and then moving on for a bachelor's degree in biology on her way to a career as a physician's assistant. "I've worked really hard over the last five semesters, so it's really rewarding to finally be able to graduate," she said. "I learned a lot from HCC, and I've learned a lot from being Colleen." 

Original source can be found here