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Ashley Russo of Beacon Health System officially became Southwestern Michigan College’s athletic trainer on Sept. 28.

“My favorite part about this job is creating a space for athletes to be comfortable and to feel safe,” Russo said. “Being a student athlete is difficult and can sometimes feel incredibly isolating — especially when trying to recover from an injury.

“I like being the person to remind kids that their sport is not the only interesting thing about them and they are capable of amazing things both on and off the court.

“My all-time favorite part of this job is being around the athletes all the time,” she said. “I love getting to be a part of their journey and giving them the support they need when things get hard.”

Russo and her older brother, a Major League Baseball statistical analyst, grew up playing every sport they could in elementary school until deciding that baseball/softball was their primary passion.

“I had grown up going to tournaments every weekend, whether they were mine or my brother's,” Russo said. “I was constantly around sports and athletes and it was my happy place. At the end of the day I wanted to be just like him so when he got serious about baseball I followed in his footsteps in softball, even playing the same positions.

“I had no idea what I wanted to go to school for. For a while I thought I wanted to be an elementary school teacher until I took an anatomy class in high school and was fascinated by the human body.

“My teacher for this course passed away tragically shortly after I graduated from high school. Every day I'm grateful I wound up in his class so that I could end up here.

“But then came the question of, well, where do I even go with this? I was lucky enough to find exercise science and the field of athletic training.

One class helped me to find the passion I had and led me to what I would call my dream career.

“I graduated from Ball State in 2022 with my undergrad in exercise science and then graduated again in 2024 with my Masters in Athletic Training.

“I worked for about a year at John Adams High School (in South Bend), which is a location that will always hold a special place in my heart. I am still fairly new to this career with only a year of paid work as an athletic trainer (not counting the years of observation and internships that come along with the schooling).”

Russo originally was only licensed in Indiana, but when this job became an option, she applied and received her license in Michigan.

Russo grew up in and still resides in Mishawaka with her mom. Her brother, the MLB statistical analyst, moved to Portland, Ore.

With athletic training and Beacon, it's typically an overseeing body for multiple athletic trainers spread out around northern Indiana and some of Michigan.

“Our home base is typically our school and we really only ever go on site at Beacon for meetings or trainings,” she said. “Beacon’s reach helps me to provide quality care for my athletes as we  continue to expand.”

“When I initially started at SMC I was a PRN” (an abbreviation for the Latin term pro re nata, or "as needed”) only coming to events for about two weeks so that I could provide cross-coverage to other schools that needed a hand. Sept. 28 was when I officially made the switch to fulltime at SMC.”

“Working with Beacon gives me and my athletes plenty of advantages,” Russo said. “We have a team doctor, Linda Mansfield, who is always willing to answer questions or work to get my athletes seen as soon as possible. It gives me an open line of communication where we can really streamline care and get them back to their sport quickly. Beacon has also given me access to multiple mentors who I know are only a call away if I have a question or a case I want to pick someone's brain about.”

“Going through grad school I didn't think I would end up working in the college setting,” Russo said. “I had most of my experiences at high schools and thought that would be the setting I ended up in.

“Transitioning from high school to college was a little nerve-wracking at first, but really the switch to SMC has been incredibly smooth. I've only been here about a month but the connection I've built with these athletes is already something I never want to lose.”

In her free time she reads mysteries and thrillers, rewatches a handful of favorite shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Gilmore Girls” and “The Office” and spends time with friends, family or her boyfriend of almost two years.