You may have seen Mark Zimmermann around the Blackhawk Technical College campus. After about a year as an intern in the CARE Center, he stepped into a dual role on June 30 as the new Student Recruitment Specialist and Career Coach.
After graduating high school in 2000, Zimmermann joined the U.S. Navy and spent his career fixing aircraft.
“My job there was fixing aircraft. I worked on the aircraft structures and flight controls, which consisted of hydraulics as well as cables. So, pretty much everything but the engines and electronics,” he said.
In addition to hands-on maintenance, Zimmermann also taught sailors basic and advanced aircraft upkeep. When he retired in 2020, he initially planned to pursue teaching. But while attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, his focus shifted.
“I wanted to assist veterans and nontraditional students with the transition to college. This was born from my time as a Transfer Peer Mentor at Whitewater,” he said.
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Zimmermann pursued a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“I decided to start getting my master’s degree from UW-Milwaukee in Administrative Leadership with an emphasis in Adult, Continuing, Higher Education Administration,” he said. “I had applied for an internship here at Blackhawk in the CARE Center to get experience in the higher education setting.”
Zimmermann appreciates Blackhawk’s smaller campus size, which creates a comfortable environment for students to thrive. He also values the diversity of the student body.
“Blackhawk has such a diverse population of students. The amount of interaction I have had with the staff and students as an intern here really set the tone for where I wanted to be,” he said. “This sounds so cliche, but Blackhawk offers so many programs and opportunities for everyone, no matter the background.”
Outside of work, life is busy for Zimmermann. He and his wife have been married for 22 years and have two children—one who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and another currently attending University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They also share their home with two dogs, a yellow lab named Rose and a chiweenie named Scout.
Zimmermann is active in the community as well, coaching a high school robotics team in Whitewater. He has traveled to Houston, Texas, for the past two years to support the team at the world championships.