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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

ALABASTER – An Alabaster native has beat out 300 applicants for a social media position at the New York headquarters of the Major League Soccer.

“I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go to New York after going to such a small private school,” Student-Athlete Kirsten Boyd said. “I never imagined that I would have this opportunity after beating out a little over 300 applicants. After coming from Alabaster, Alabama and going to a 3A school.”

Boyd landed the position due to her extensive experience and work at professional sporting events through LaGrange College’s Sports Management Club.

“During the interview process, the hiring manager said, ‘You have done more than people who have been in this position for 20 years,’” Boyd said.

Boyd is a Sports Management and Spanish double major. She attended Kingwood Christian School before signing on to LaGrange College in 2019.

“It feels great to come this far in such a short period of time,” Boyd said. “I have grown my resume in the past two years working, volunteering and doing internships within sports organizations. When I graduated at Kingwood Christian School and walked across the stage after saying I wanted to work in sports, I had no expectations.”

During her time with the Lions, Boyd was named to the AISA All-Tournament team as a freshman and led her team to the Final Four, a runner-up finish and two regional championships.

Boyd also made the All-Region team twice and was named to the Shelby County Honorable Mention team as well as the Birmingham All-Metro Honorable Mention team twice.

Boyd has also interned as a social media strategist for Sideline Sports Network in Brooklyn, New York. She worked with her fellow LaGrange College club members at competitions for the National Basketball Association, National Football League and Major League Soccer.

“I have spent two years working with the Falcons, Atlanta United, the College Park Skyhawks, which is a G-League team for the Hawks and working the Final Four,” Boyd said. “I traveled to New York last year and visited the NHL headquarters, NBA Headquarters, talked with the Knicks, Rangers and the Yankees. Now I will be able to move there in June to work with one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and (one of) the biggest sports worldwide. Anyone in my position would be so grateful that this door has opened, and I know I have so much to give.”

Boyd said she learned about networking from the college’s Sports Management Club.

“The student organization taught me that it is not what you know, but who you know,” Boyd said. “On paper, experiences are great, but being able to connect with people is just as important. It means a lot to me that I have mentors in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League.”

Associate Sports Management Professor Clay Bolton, who started teaching Boyd in August, said she is an example of hard work and dedication.

“Kirsten is in the rare place of being in the top percent of all students in sports management that I have seen in all my years in higher education,” he said. “Kirsten has made the most of all her opportunities both on and off campus. She is joining Major League Soccer at a time when it is exploding, and I see no ceiling for her career.”

Boyd will start her new MLS position once she graduates in May. She said she will be on the organization’s social media content team.

“I will be working on media and digital marketing for the league office and traveling to different states and seeing how different teams organize their social media platforms,” she said. “This includes making content such as Instagram reels, TikToks, Instagram posts and pushing the MLS brand to be more personable with newer fans.”

Boyd spoke on the opportunities the new position at MLS will give her.

“(It) gives me the opportunity to travel, work and meet new people,” Boyd said. “Since I am a double major in Sports Management and Spanish, I want to be able to speak to different cultures through working. Since the next World Cup will be in the United States, I am so excited to be on the field and (be) making content and making new connections while doing what I love. I have heard that the culture in the MLS headquarters is family oriented, and I am excited to be part of the culture. Soccer is the one sport where everyone comes together, and is bigger than the Olympics in many aspects, and I am happy to be part of that.

Boyd shared what it is that she loves about soccer.

“I love the fact that it is a world game that brings everyone together,” she said.

Boyd expressed her gratitude for her family.

“I would like to thank my parents for being my strong support system,” she said. “My dad was my coach at Kingwood Christian School where we went undefeated for multiple seasons, and that gave me my love for sports. My mom has always been in my corner and traveling while I played travel volleyball from 10 years old until I graduated. My sisters have always been there while I was playing or working out throughout school, and I appreciate them as well for supporting me and telling me to do what I love instead of just working to say I have a job.”