The University of Toledo’s Rocket Kids program is a fresh, new, one-of-a-kind program that brings education students the opportunity to travel internationally while working with children through the United States military.
I took the jump to apply to the program for the opportunity to not only work with children but to travel the world and embrace new experiences.
Shirrell White is one of three UToledo education students working with children of U.S. military families in Vicenza, Italy, through the new UToledo program, Rocket Kids.
Being someone who had never been on a plane before, I knew that it might’ve been a really big jump to fly 4,000 miles away from everything I have ever known, but as they say, you never know until you try.
Gratefully, I did try.
Currently, two other participants in the program and I are living in Vicenza, Italy. The city is absolutely gorgeous and small enough to where everything is accessible. On the weekends we travel to different cities and countries. We plan on traveling to Milan, Greece, France, etc. and taking in all that Europe has to offer.
As for the children, they are amazing. I work with the children of military families from 6th to 12th grade. We do so many activities and field trips with them like gardening, cooking, mountain biking, visiting Murano Glass-making factories and many other things.
During the week, we are with the children making connections and keeping them captivated with the many different things the camps have to offer.
While I have been interning at the Youth Center in Vicenza, I have come in contact with so many different types of students and experiences. A lot of our students have lived in over five different countries before the age of 12 and some of them have lived in Italy their whole life. Hearing these kids’ stories of origin and their travel experiences is truly a blessing and a humbling experience in the same breath.
The three Rocket Kids program participants, from left, UToledo seniors Esparenza Hallauer, Sam Simpson and White, pose with a sign in Italy.
The biggest impact I feel that we have made on the children is giving them a sense of comfort and excitement. I say comfort and excitement because when our children see us happy and welcoming in the morning for camp and being interested in what they have to say, it makes them feel good inside. During the school year, they see the same staff in the same center all the time. Being in the center with our bright blue shirts and bright personalities every day makes the children excited to come to camp and even stay until the center is fully closed.
I have had students cry to me about their friends getting sent to different states. I have had students express to me how grateful they are for us because they needed people who were “fun” and “new.” I have had students come into the center for camp during the first few weeks completely upset because they were forced to go to camp and now that we’re in late summer they are excited to come to camp every week. Watching the growth and mindsets of these children has had the biggest impact on me.
White is a senior studying English Adolescent Education.
I wasn’t sure about what the future held for me but, after experiencing Europe and the military’s CYS program, I have been exposed to so many things and I feel a lot more confident in what my future holds with The University of Toledo.
I am currently a senior studying English adolescent education and plan to obtain my master’s degree in education administration. My hopes are that I will be able to continue the Rocket Kids program by being a participant or even getting a position on the management team to help future Rocket Kids prosper. I also am hoping that my experience working with children internationally will help me to gain internships and careers of great experience.
Being in Rocket Kids will help you to grow in professionalism, flexibility, open-mindedness, experience with children and many other skills that could not be gained in another opportunity. While Rocket Kids is a program, it is The University of Toledo’s program. Being a Rocket is such a great feeling, but being a Rocket Kid is something you are able to hold onto and grow with for life. The program has its ups and downs but, those ups and downs bring a great deal of experience and growth.
I am so grateful for this experience, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the program and myself. The University of Toledo is the only university to have the Rocket Kids program and I am so extremely grateful that our school has presented us with this opportunity.
Consider Rocket Kids if you’re able to be flexible and love working with children. Consider Rocket Kids if you want to change your life forever.
Rocket Kids, a program funded with an $11.5 million contract from the Department of Army IMCOM-Europe NAF, provides child care at military bases around the world. In the first year of the program, 24 college students were placed at bases in Vicenza, Italy; Stuttgart, Garmisch and Baumholder, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; and Brunssum, Netherlands for the 2023 summer.
Shirrell White is a senior studying English adolescent education. She is one of three college students participating in the first cohort of the Rocket Kids program providing child care for U.S. military families in Vicenza, Italy.
