The Olympic Games are a common topic at Asbury University. For students, its more than just an event to watch from afar.We began sending students to the Olympics in 1984, so we've actually been to 17 Olympics, said Jim Owens, de an of the Asbury School of Communication Arts and professor in television production.Asbury has sent more than 800 students to various games over the years.We work really hard to prepare young people to leave our campus and step into the industry, Owens said. That makes a big difference when a student has that kind of confidence behind them and has had the opportunity to apply this theory they're learning in the classroom to actual things here on campus, then professionally, and then move out into the world.Asbury junior Ella Liu has heard her classmates talk about their Olympic broadcast experiences in the past.People always go to different ones, they would have very different experiences from each one, and they will share about it all the time on campus, Liu said.For students that have worked past Olympic broadcasts, the experience opened their eyes to what goes into a career in media. Susanna Edward, a senior, shared more about her work in Paris in 2024.It kind of like connected the dots of Oh I've learned this in class, and seeing them actually do it for a wide production that the whole world sees was just amazing, she said.Some of the students will come home from these Olympics and decide they never want to do anything with broadcasting again, Owens added. Others will decide this is their future, and that's what education is all about to let them experiment and let them see what it's like, expose them to all of this before graduation.With the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching, Liu will get her own chance to go to work on the broadcast. Thanks to her classes and classmates she feels prepared.I really look forward to just enjoy and learn things that I haven't experienced before. I'm excited to watch the sport as well, Liu said with a smile.I think one thing which I will tell Ella is just to be open in the way that she's approaching things, Edward advised.The Winter Olympics begin in just 17 days, getting started on February 6. ...read more read less