Opening Doors

Once a scholarship recipient herself, Caroline Cabias is creating pathways to opportunity for others. 

Caroline Cabias’s passion for health and education access and equity keeps her very busy. When a friend initially approached her about becoming a Samuel Merritt University (SMU) donor and joining the Board of Regents, Cabias was intrigued — but she also felt already stretched thin by her numerous involvements on other university boards, committees, and community councils. Yet as she learned more about SMU’s objective of addressing healthcare needs for underserved populations, it struck a very deep and personal chord. “The Samuel Merritt story, the SMU president’s story, that’s my story. I recognized the importance of their mission and knew I needed to make the time to participate meaningfully,” Cabias proclaims. “I was all in.”

Cabias’s Filipino dad and Mexican mom raised her and her five siblings working in the tomato fields and packing sheds of rural Sacramento. Because of language and cultural barriers, it fell to the kids to navigate and translate the complexities of the medical system for the family. She learned early and firsthand about the lack of healthcare infrastructure and workforce in rural communities. “This is a problem that we still see,” she explains, “and one that Samuel Merritt [University] is working to address.

Cabias knows that one key to expanding healthcare access is supporting education, particularly for those who come from and may return to underserved communities. “I received a scholarship that allowed me to graduate from UC Davis and go on to a successful career,” she recalls. “I often think about how much more I am able to do for others now because I had help then.” Her generosity includes five years of funding to support SMU Oakland’s new campus, as well as an unrestricted bequest to support the University in her trust.

“You have to admire the giving and loving nature of people who want to work in healthcare,” says Cabias. “I want to support them, whether it’s through scholarships or by helping Samuel Merritt [University] expand their capabilities relative to their mission statement.”