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Oneisha Cabrera '22
Oneisha Cabrera ’22 found a breath of fresh air in Marywood.
Hailing from the bustling metropolis of New York City, Oneisha was instantly drawn to the personal attention and suburban setting offered through a Marywood education.
“Being from New York City, everything is very hectic, fast-paced and crowded; faculty and advisors (in NYC) will barely even remember your name and situation. Since the Marywood campus is smaller and located in a quiet, suburban area, the environment is much calmer, the faculty was incredibly helpful and more than willing to sit down and discuss each of my concerns,” said Cabrera.
While accessibility is one major factor in the student-faculty relationship, Oneisha said the empathy shown by faculty was a major difference maker as well.
“There is a genuine care and desire on the faculty’s part to help students succeed, and that’s just something I knew I wouldn’t be getting in the city,” said Cabrera.
While that classic Marywood charm pulled Oneisha toward the University, financial generosity played a big role as well. Scholarship support provided Cabrera with the opportunity to reach a milestone in her family, and for that, she is truly grateful.
“Being an adult learner who was 23 back in 2018, it was difficult for me to make the decision of going back to college after being a full-time employee for so many years. Marywood’s financial aid support definitely gave me the confidence and the boost that I needed to go back and pursue my Business degree, making me the first in my family to attend college!
As a first-generation college student and adult learner, I would like to thank the donors for helping me choose Marywood! I feel like if it wasn’t for their generosity, I wouldn’t be receiving the high-quality education for the best value anywhere.”
Now a junior, Oneisha has certainly left her mark on Marywood and the surrounding community. She has been heavily involved with the Office of University Advancement as a student worker and a caller for the Campus Connector Program. One project Cabrera points to as a particularly proud moment is a business project she and her group carried out. The premise of the project was to promote Marywood’s mission and core values through photos on the University’s social media accounts. She said this project allowed her to display two areas she is passionate about.
“I was particularly invested in this project because as a freelance photographer I was over the moon with the idea of incorporating something I’m so passionate about into a project by capturing parts of the campus that could represent each of the five core values. That experience revealed to me an even deeper layer of the importance of photography in our lives. It also made me realize that I had much more of an artistic side to me than I thought!”
As is the case with many of our students, Oneisha never thought that she would be taking classes remotely during her junior year of college, but she said there is a silver lining to be found in this new way of learning.
“During this time, Marywood has provided me with the necessary resources to continue learning, such as Zoom meetings, virtual forums, online learning systems, and so much more—but more importantly the Marywood family has been very supportive of students like me. We have remained “connected” as we all learn to navigate this new environment together.”
Despite the pandemic, Cabrera is certain Marywood, a campus where she says “everyone’s voice matters,” has gotten her closer to her goal of becoming a Human Resources Director.
“Experiences like being a student caller and working in the Advancement office have been essential to my growth over the past two and half years at Marywood as it has allowed me to speak to so many established alumni who have given me very valuable career advice and mentorship. I greatly admire Marywood’s strong alumni network and how they manage to maintain such close and connected relationships with them!”
Oneisha plans to remain as involved as possible both as an alumna and a donor. But before then, she is looking forward to continuing her excellence on campus before graduating in 2022 with a degree in Business Administration and Management.
