CCHS Alumna Returns from Summer Internship in Beijing Working for Olympic News Service

WHEELING — The excitement of the Summer ’08 Olympic Games for many of us came from watching the spectacular fanfare of the Opening Ceremony and cheering on our American athletes while watching the televised competitions. And who can forget witnessing history as American swimmer Michael Phelps earned an unprecedented eight Olympic gold medals?

But for Wheeling Central Catholic High School Alumna Mikala Reasbeck (Class of 2004), the Beijing Olympics was much more than a two-week event she watched on television. Calling it her “opportunity of a lifetime,” Mikala made the 17-hour flight to Beijing to work as a volunteer for the Olympic News Service (ONS) and Beijing Organizing Committee for 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) Media Operations experiencing, first-hand, all the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Chinese culture.

Mikala, a spring ‘08 graduate from Emerson College, Boston, MA, was among 35 students from Emerson and one of over 3,000 international volunteers who were selected last spring to work side-by-side professional staff members of the ONS for 10 weeks, covering the Olympic events, providing background information on athletes and competitions, and creating Olympic news material for the international press.

“It was such an amazing opportunity to go to China and work as a reporter there,” Mikala said. “The Chinese people were so welcoming and being around the Olympic venues was just incredible.” Her first assignment was to work as a mixed zone assistant in the Boxing Venue.

“My job was to stand no more than 20 feet from the Olympic boxing ring and organize members of the media. I made sure the international press got interviews with athletes while I escorted the medalists through the press line.”

Within a few days after the Summer Games Olympic torch was extinguished, Mikala started working at the 2008 ParaOlympic Games for ONS. She was one of just a few selected to stay in Beijing to cover these events. The strength and perseverance of the ParaOlympic athletes truly made an impression on her, particularly those who competed in the Blind Judo event.

“Though I wasn’t inspired to take up judo as a hobby, it was definitely amazing to see these disabled athletes competing as fiercely and seriously as able-bodied athletes.”

In preparing for her ONS internship, Mikala spent her last college semester learning Mandarin Chinese and studying the country’s culture and 2,000-year history, along with the history and rules of the Olympics. While in Beijing, she stayed at the Communication University of China, one of Emerson’s sister schools.

“I prepared as best I could for this experience – studying maps of Beijing, stocking up on food I liked, and listing to CDs to help me learn the language,” she said. “Before I left I worried about not being able to find my way around such a large city or being able to communicate with anyone. Once I got there, though, it wasn’t difficult at all. The people of Beijing were so warm and gracious that I never felt like a lost foreigner – I quickly adjusted to the lifestyle. It was such an exciting time that I didn’t want to see it end.”

Mikala said the support of her family and friends allowed her to enjoy her trip and not feel homesick. To keep in touch with loved ones across the globe, she and other American students posted blogs and stories about their Beijing experiences while they were gone.

“If I could, I would go back to China tomorrow and get a job teaching English or something related. I just loved it there and would recommend every student travel abroad to experience a new culture.”

Mikala returned to Wheeling in late September after earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson. She now begins the daunting task of finding a job. Her Beijing internship, along with her four years in Boston, has sparked many diverse career interests within her: writing and reporting, teaching, city planning and development, and community service. But for now, she says, she just wants to find an engaging job that keeps her busy.

“I will never forget my Beijing experience or the people I met while I was there,” she said. “I hope to draw on that experience as I start the next phase of my life.”

Mikala is the daughter of Wheeling Central Religion Teacher Amy Reasbeck and Michael Reasbeck. She resides in Wheeling.

With a foundation dating back to the 19th century, a faith-based education stands as the hallmark of Wheeling Central Catholic High School. Located in the heart of The Friendly City, Wheeling Central is proud of its 400-member student body and its 8,000 alumni, as well as their outstanding academic, athletic, and community service achievements. One of seven Catholic High Schools in West Virginia, Wheeling Central is where championship lives begin.