Grand Colleen Moira Reardon and her court.
Photo credit: Holyoke St. Patrick’s Committee
Ahead of this year’s St. Patrick’s festiviites in Holyoke, Reminder Publishing sat down with Holyoke Grand Colleen Moira Catherine Reardon and Chicopee Colleen Daiana Torres to discuss their reaction to being named the colleens in their cities, and the journeys that made them into this year’s colleens.
Holyoke Grand Colleen Moira Catherine Reardon
The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke crowned Moira Catherine Reardon as the 2025 grand colleen at its 69th annual Grand Colleen Coronation Ball & Awards Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 15.
Reardon was born and raised in Holyoke by her parents Erin and Dan Reardon, alongside two sisters, Morgan and Katelyn. Her Irish heritage traces back to County Mayo and County Kerry on both sides of her family.
Reardon said she was shocked to be named grand colleen and added as someone growing up around the city’s festivities of her Irish culture, it was always something she had hoped to accomplish since a young age.
“My great grandparents were really involved in Holyoke and the community, and they were really the first ones to really inspire me to get in touch with my heritage and learn more about it and to really be proud of it,” said Reardon. “Growing up in Holyoke I’ve always looked forward to the parade and parade weekend and all the festivities surrounding it and over the years its grown to be more special to me and my family.”
Reardon said funny enough, this year coincides with 10 years since she participated in the Future Colleens contest, a formative experience for her of the city’s celebration of its Irish culture and what it means to be the Colleen representing a community.
“I’ve had my ‘Future Colleen’ sash hanging up in my room since I got it so it’s kind of a form of manifestation I guess,” Reardon said with a laugh. “I remember the colleens always used to come to our schools and seeing them in the newspaper and all of that. When I was little, I obviously didn’t understand what it was all about and then I read into more and learned from my family about this. I got to write an essay on why I wanted to be future colleen, and I remember writing about my family and how much Holyoke means to be so it was really special.”
A 2021 graduate of Holyoke High School, Reardon was an active member of the National Honor Society, Business Club and served as class representative for Student Government. She was also a dedicated athlete, playing on the varsity soccer team and competing in both indoor and outdoor track.
During her junior and senior years, Reardon participated in the Westfield Promise Program, which allowed her to take college courses and earn college credit. In 2023, she earned an associate’s degree in communications from HCC, where she was also named to the dean’s list.
Currently enrolled at STCC, Reardon is pursing a health science degree with plans to graduate in spring 2027. She has been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success in 2024 and has made the dean’s list again.
Reardon also currently works as a transport technician at Baystate Medical Center, providing patient care and comfort. She also serves as a peer tutor at STCC and has volunteered with the Holyoke Police Department’s Annual Toy Drive and at local Irish events.
In the future, Reardon plans to study diagnostic medical sonography and work in the medical field in Boston.
The 2025 colleen court joining Reardon includes Erin Marie Gauthier, Abigail Katherine Huebner, Maura Catherine Joseph (Miss Congeniality) and Erin Frances O’Donnell.
Some of the upcoming events for the colleen include the South Hadley Irish Night on March 15, the Irish flag raising and shamrock painting at Holyoke City Hall on March 22 at 9 a.m., and all the other festivities included on parade weekend. For more information on all upcoming Holyoke St. Patrick’s festivities, visit holyokestpatricksparade.com.
Reardon said she is proud of her fellow colleens and for the experience she was able to have with them during the pageant. While nerves were high during the process, Reardon said getting out of her comfort zone, along with the great support of her family along the way helped her adjust. She now looks forward to the upcoming events in the community as grand colleen.
“I just remember being so proud of everybody no matter what the outcome was and happy to be a part of this with the great group of girls that I was with,” said Reardon on receiving the pageant. “It was a great experience and being able to share my gratitude and love for Holyoke up on stage in front of everybody is something I’m definitely never going to forget.”
Chicopee Colleen Daiana Torres
Daiana Torres said she froze from excitement and shock when she heard her name get announced as Chicopee’s next colleen during Chicopee’s Colleen Contest and Coronation Ball on Feb. 22.
Torres, a student at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, was one of 11 contestants vying for opportunity.
Photo credit: Joel Rodowicz
When she won, Torres said, “I just remember standing there holding the girl to my right and then the girl to my left hand and I was surprised and I was just happy that I was even a part of the top five but when they read my name that I was the colleen in Chicopee, it shocked me and I kind of froze a bit, especially in the video you can definitely see that.”
Once Torres was able to gather her emotions and realize it was real, she said she felt accomplished proud of herself.
Torres said she wanted to run for Chicopee’s colleen after hearing about it from her cheer coach who was in the 2015 colleen court in Chicopee.
Besides just thinking it be a fun experience to compete for Chicopee’s colleen, Torres said also stated she wanted to be able to get more involved and help out others.
She explained, “I’ve always just done as much as I could, especially for my community. I’ve always helped out at fundraisers with my cheer team, I’ve always just done as much as I possibly could with the 24 hours that I’m given every day. I think running for [colleen], part of it was just like an experience for me but also, I did want to help out and I do want to help out more. I do want to have more of an influence, especially on little girls who are seeing me and my court and just thinking one day they could be that and let them know that they can.”
Torres said her parents call her an energizer bunny because of how much she is involved in. Besides doing cheerleading since she was 10 years old, Torres is currently taking part in the carpentry trade unit at Chicopee Comprehensive High School and is testing soon at the Skills USA district competition with hopes to compete at the state competition.
Other activities Torres has done in different capacities include dram club, softball, tennis and is a self-taught dancer.
Like many people, she also enjoys time with her friends, family and traveling as well.
Torres talked about her active lifestyle and said, “I’m always out, I’m always doing something for everybody else.”
Torres’ court will include Meghan Oxley, Wilmette Cumba, Hannah O’Neil and Emma Caproni. Torres talked more about her excitement to share parade weekend and the rest of the year’s events with her court.
“Obviously, I know some of them but just getting to know each other more as a group and just spending time as girls and girlhood, I love that, like getting ready and all that,” Torres said, “Personally I’ve never gone, I have seen clips of it on TV but just being in it I feel like I’m excited for that. I’m excited to spend the night before, the day before, honestly the week before with my court as well as the rest of the year.”
Besides being excited for herself, Torres discussed how excited she is for her parents who also are going through this experience for the first time.
She said, “I’m excited to represent my parents and it’s a first for them and also new to them. I’m excited to have new experiences and give those experiences to my parents and have them watch their daughter on TV and such.”
Throughout the process, Torres has adopted the mentality to not allow self-doubt, fear or other peoples opinions stop her from chasing her dreams.
She stated, “Don’t let your fears stop you from doing anything. If you ever think and this is not even just pertaining to the colleen pageant and competition, this is more so to anything else, if you think oh I don’t have the chance of getting that, I don’t have the chance of doing that, like there’s no shot, I don’t even want to try, I would say just try because as a person you doubt your abilities and you downplay yourself so much then what they actually are and it’s like showing to other people what you can do is a self-esteem boost.”
Torres and her court will ride on the colleen’s float in the Chicopee contingent in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade on Sunday, March 23.
Torres also said she is excited to see the float be revealed as it has been kept a secret from her and other members of her court and the Chicopee St. Patrick’s Day Committee.
