In 2021, Cole Cabrera, a Hawaiʻi native and standout baseball player at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was looking for one last opportunity to play the sport he loved and earn a graduate degree. Then came the call.
“I still remember the phone call with [University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa] head coach Rich Hill calling me to tell me he was offering me a scholarship to come play for Hawaiʻi,” said Cabrera. “It was a no-brainer to come back home.”
He returned to Oʻahu to pursue a master of science in marketing management at the Shidler College of Business at UH Mānoa, graduating in 2022. The program made a lasting impact on his future.
“My master’s program curriculum was very rigorous and prepared me for the everyday challenges of the professional sector,” said Cabrera. “Shidler is a very respected business school, and knowing you are going to be challenged everyday just brings a sense of fire and passion you need to make it in the classroom and in life.”
While earning his degree, Cabrera was also fulfilling a childhood dream: representing UH baseball in front of the people who mattered most.
“Growing up in Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi is the professional team. It means a lot to put Hawaiʻi on your chest and know that you are representing not only the state, but your home,” he said. “It’s an honor, and us local boys do not take that lightly.”
Today, Cabrera is a Realtor at Luxury Homes International and was appropriately named the company’s 2024 Real Estate Rookie of the Year.
“Advice I would tell young realtors is to be smart enough to create your own opportunities,” he said. “Go out and go get it!”
Read Cabrera’s full Q&A and learn more about other outstanding UH Alumni.
