Rachel Boner has spent the last year working with the Boston Red Sox. A long way from TUS in Athlone, from where she graduated in 2024.
"I never thought about working in baseball before, I barely knew what it was," she laughed.
"But sometimes the opportunities are there, and you have to take them," Ms Boner explained.
The 24-year-old from Ailt an Chorráin in Co Donegal started a course in Athletic and Rehabilitation Therapy in TUS Athlone in 2020.
As part of the course, she completed a placement in third year and spent a semester in Arizona with the Seattle Mariners.
Athletic training in Ireland is still developing and not widely recognised, making it difficult to find professional opportunities in elite sports.
Ms Boner said that is why she decided to look overseas.
Her placement there sparked an interest and a desire to explore further opportunities, she said.
"I got to know all the players, the staff. There were long days and you get familiar with everyone.
"Everyone was so helpful and they could see I was enthusiastic about it all, so maybe a month after I finished, I got an email from one of the coaches, saying I could go back, if I wanted to," she said.
The Donegal woman decided she would apply for the PBATS International Internship Programme and in 2024 she began work as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Boston Red Sox.
These internships provide hands-on education, mentorship, and experience with professional baseball athletic trainers across Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball.
"I don't really think I knew exactly what I was going into until I was there.
"I arrived during Spring training, so it was crazy busy.
"We'd have early start and our job was making sure everyone was staying healthy and helping get players back to playing if they did pick up an injury," she said.
"I'm from a small village in Donegal - but if you're willing to put the work in and put yourself out there, there are opportunities."
She said the players were mainly from South America and were trying to make it in baseball.
Much of her job was on development, she explained, to ensure the players rise through the ranks and get to the major league.
"This was their first time in America and their first exposure to all of this, so my job was to help give them a healthy routine to keep going, because it's a very intense environment," she said.
Rachel Boner said she has always been interested in sport and science and the experience she gained in the professional world of baseball has been enlightening.
"There are particular injuries that are more common in baseball than maybe what you'd see here.
"There are a lot of upper limb injuries, so the elbow, the UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) injury is one of the worst a baseball player can get and there are a lot of shoulder stuff.
"Hamstrings too but they are common in every sport," she said.
'Definitely worth it'
The Donegal woman said it was an intense job but worthwhile.
"It's not as glamorous as it seems, but it's definitely worth it.
"I've learned a lot and built a lot of new skills. In the US sportspeople are treated so well so it's great being exposed to that," she said.
She also said there are more females getting involved in the area.
"It's so nice to see more for females getting involved in it, because it's traditionally a very male dominated area," said Ms Boner.
The 24-year-old could have stayed on with the Boston Red Sox but she has decided to continue her studies and complete a Masters in Physiotherapy.
She is currently studying at Liverpool University.
"I want to use the knowledge I gained working in the States with Red Sox and apply it in more environments.
"I might go back to a baseball environment again, and hopefully in more of a long-term rehab position, like post-surgery," she said.
For now, the Donegal woman's focus is on her study, but she will be keeping an eye on the Red Sox when the league starts next month.
"I used to get asked a lot if there was baseball in Ireland," she laughed.
"I'm a Red Sox fan now," Ms Boner added.
'Take any opportunity that you can'
In the coming months students across the country will be considering their options after school and Rachel Boner has this advice.
"Definitely keep an open mind, take any opportunity that you can.
"I was very fortunate. I had a lot of support from my family and TUS in Athlone, and nobody ever questioned me going to work in baseball"
"I'm from a small village in Donegal - but if you're willing to put the work in and put yourself out there, there are opportunities," she said.
Dr Lynn Allen is Programme Director and Lecturer on the Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy course in TUS, Athlone.
Interest in the course, which educates students in musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, has grown significantly in recent years, according to Dr Allen.
"There are four programmes in the country that are credited to our governing body and TUS has one of them and interest has grown significantly in all of them.
"In year four of our programme, all of our students undertake a full semester, and it's called their clinical immersion placement:
"From that then they get immersed in the normal day to day practice, whether it be in at physio practices here in Ireland or internationally.
"We have a lot of links in America with different universities in the States," she said.
Dr Allen added: "They also have the PBATS International Internship Program, which Rachel completed.
"It was after the PBATs internship, she began as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Boston Red Sox.
"It shows you the opportunities that are out there for people. This highlights the links with professional baseball."
She said there are opportunities and links to many other professional sports.
"The profession is an internationally recognised profession, and it's huge in the United States and in Canada as well and in the UK, it's growing in popularity as well.
"Because it is global, we have so many international links and we can send students to a variety of different clinical contexts"
"It's not just about the sports and the athletes and stuff like that," she said.
Dr Allen said Ms Boner is an inspiration for other students.
"There's not too many people that are able to say, well, I worked on a player, who is worth a few million dollars there today," she laughed.
"It's such a rewarding career and there are huge opportunities to travel the world with it."
