Rock University High School, or RUHS, shares space on Blackhawk Technical College’s Beloit-Janesville Campus. The high school has 85 students and more than 40 are juniors and seniors. Those juniors and seniors are taking almost 500 college credits through Blackhawk.
One of them is Natalia Mauer, an RUHS student who completed her Associate of Science degree through Blackhawk in December and will be participating in Blackhawk’s commencement event in May prior to her high school graduation in June.
Medicine on her mind
Mauer chose the Associate of Science program because it will transfer to University of Wisconsin-Madison, she said.
“I plan on attending in the fall. I am interested in pre-med, with a major in biology,” she explained. “After Blackhawk, I will have a semester off until the fall. I plan to work full-time and look for research opportunities. I will attend a four-year university, most likely UW-Madison, studying pre-med. After that, I will go to medical school. I am most interested in OB-GYN and general surgery. I got to witness a lot of both of these fields in my internship, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Getting her certified nursing assistant, or CNA, license was one of her main goals for high school, she said. She wanted to get involved in and exposed to the medical field.
“I took a CNA class at Blackhawk and earned my certification in May 2025. I started working at a nursing home in August after my internship,” Mauer said. “During my Rock Internship, I was able to observe surgeries, childbirth, and a women’s health clinic. I learned so much about the operating room and made many connections at Mercyhealth. Blackhawk was able to get me working in the field, and it was an amazing opportunity to watch surgery.”
The Rock Internship Program is a collaborative talent development offering supported by participating employers, Blackhawk Technical College, the County of Rock, Rock County 5.0 and the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.
RUHS offers opportunities
“This partnership between Blackhawk and the school district of Janesville set the stage to make this possible,” RUHS Principal Patty Hernandez said. “It’s really about preparation meeting opportunity.”
Over the last few years, 11 RUHS students have graduated high school with their Blackhawk degree. That number is growing fast.
“It takes work, but it really takes partnership–the Blackhawk team has been fundamental to this success,” she said. “A total of 14 RUHS students will graduate this spring with an associate degree,” Hernandez said. “Our students are really successful here.”
Learn more about Blackhawk’s Associate of Science degree