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Owens Grad Teaches Military Families’ Kids Through Rocket Kids Program in Germany

From swimming in a lake in the Austrian Alps and skydiving in Switzerland to working with the children of American military families living in Germany, recent Owens Community College graduate Jadyn Lubash had a summer she won’t soon forget.

Recent Owens graduate Jadyn Lubash spent her summer as an intern in Europe with the Rocket Kids program.

“Being able to go over there and gain experience in the classroom and still be able to do all the extra stuff, it was so worth it,” Lubash said. “I have the experience in the classroom, I have my new best friends and I got to travel.”

Lubash, of Perrysburg Township, was chosen to participate as one of eight interns in the Rocket Kids program through University of Toledo. She spent three months in Grafenwoehr, Germany as a student teacher for 5-year-old pre-kindergarten children at Grafenwoehr Training Area, the largest U.S. military training facility in Europe.

While overseas, Lubash visited nine different countries — Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy and Netherlands in addition to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Rocket Kids program is in its fifth cohort, with participation growing from 26 students to nearly 100 students at 11 U.S. military installations throughout Europe last summer. Students are required to be U.S. citizens enrolled at an accredited U.S. college or university and have completed at least 30 credit hours before departure with a 2.5 GPA and complete a federal background check.

“The goals of Rocket Kids are twofold. First, we want to provide meaningful, high-quality programming and support for the children and youth of our military families. Second, we want to create an exceptional experiential learning opportunity for our college students,” said Dr. Sammy Spahn, University of Toledo vice provost and dean of students.

“We want students to leave the program with a stronger understanding of themselves, greater confidence in their abilities, professional skills they can take into their careers and a broader understanding of the world around them.”

Lubash graduated from Owens with her Associate of Social Work Transfer in Summer 2026 and is currently enrolled at Toledo. While at Owens, she had an internship at the Juvenile Residential Center of Northwest Ohio in Bowling Green, a 42-bed residential placement for youth ages 12-18.

While her future may not put her in a classroom, the experience with Rocket Kids was incredibly valuable nonetheless.

“I would have never put myself in a position to work with kids that age, so I’m glad Rocket Kids had me work with that age,” Lubash said. “I have the experience with those kids, otherwise all my experience is with kids in fifth grade and older. Now I can say I have a lot of experience working with younger children going into the social work field. It really helps me.”

For Dr. Michelle Arbogast, Owens chair of Teacher Education and Human Services, the experiential portion of the Rocket Kids program helps Owens students graduate with more than a degree by enhancing confidence in their abilities with meaningful professional experiences and a better understanding of the people and communities they will serve.

“There is a point in a student’s education when they need to move from learning about something to actually doing it,” Arbogast said. “These experiences also help students discover who they are becoming as professionals. They learn what they do well, where they need to grow, how to solve problems when things do not go exactly as planned and how to work with people whose experiences may be very different from their own.”

A graduate of both Penta Career Center and Eastwood High School, Lubash came to Owens for its close-to-home location and affordability. Once she got to the school and realized her intended major wasn’t the right fit, Owens also gave her the opportunity to change direction.

“I had great teachers here,” Lubash said. “(Social Work assistant professor Jodi Gore) helped me open up a lot in the classroom. She’s really good at noticing when people aren’t engaging much, she’ll kind of call you out. I get really nervous and shut down. Coming here and having people like Jodi and (academic advisor) Camille (Lively) show me how to connect with new people was really helpful.”

According to Spahn, the summer’s impact wasn’t felt by Lubash and her fellow interns alone. While the students come home with stories and experiences, the military families also benefit from the connections and friendships the interns bring during the family’s deployment.

“That is what makes Rocket Kids so special. We are meeting an important need for military families while simultaneously investing in the next generation of college students and professionals,” Spahn said. “It is a program where everyone has the opportunity to grow — the children we serve, the families we support and the college students who have the privilege of being part of it.”

Rocket Kids is currently recruiting for Spring 2027 interns and Summer 2027 interns. The application deadline for Spring ‘27 is October 15. Students interested in serving for Summer ‘27 should complete an interest form or visit their website for more information.