In 2021, Cole Cabrera, a Â鶹´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹] head coach Rich Hill calling me to tell me he was offering me a scholarship to come play for Â鶹´«Ã½,” 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 ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, 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 Â鶹´«Ã½, Â鶹´«Ã½ is the professional team. It means a lot to put Â鶹´«Ã½ 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!”
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