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A Steadfast Supporter
Inspired by Childhood Experiences, Oscar Cabello Works to Lift Up Students and the Valley
By Gina Oltman
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When Oscar Cabello talks about serving on the Foundation Board of Directors at Stanislaus State, his enthusiasm for the work is evident. A Wells Fargo district manager based in Modesto, he lights up when he talks about partnering with donors and businesses to transform students’ lives and empower graduates to enter professions that strengthen the social and economic fabric of Stanislaus County.
“Stan State is a jewel for the Valley,” said Cabello, who is in his third year on the Foundation Board, serves on its audit committee and chairs its stewardship and development committee. “The University is connecting students with business leaders, mentors and resources. There’s a focus on leveling the educational field for students and equalizing their futures, so they all have options. It’s all about graduating them into prosperous careers that make a difference for them and for the community.”
While he’s relatively new to the Foundation Board, Cabello has a long association with Stan State. Before becoming a district manager 10 years ago, he worked as a Wells Fargo community development manager for 17 years establishing philanthropic partnerships with schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the county. At Stan State, he was instrumental in establishing an ongoing series of financial literacy classes and oversaw bank grants to support programs for emancipated foster youth, veterans, first-generation scholars, Campus Cares and the Warrior Food Pantry. He also played a role in introducing the campus to the Warrior Card, a student identification card that can also be used as a reloadable debit card and linked to a Wells Fargo checking account.
Cabello’s desire to help students overcome obstacles to higher education and career success stems from his own experiences growing up. When he was very young, his mother left his abusive father and raised all five of her sons as a single parent in the Monterey County towns of Greenfield and King City. She worked two jobs and struggled financially.
“We barely made ends meet. We had cars repossessed, got evicted for missed rent payments, had the lights turned off,” he said. “I know there are a lot of families and individuals who go through that. I understand that struggle, and that is where my passion for financial literacy and education comes from.”
While he witnessed his mother’s struggle to keep the family afloat financially, Cabello also watched her successfully improve the family’s circumstances. A believer in the power of education and determined to make a better life for herself and her boys, his mother found a way to enroll in college, worked tirelessly to earn a degree and eventually became a teacher.
With his eyes opened to the importance of education, Cabello promptly enrolled in community college in Salinas after he graduated from King City High School. His past experiences also told him he needed to earn a regular paycheck, so he took a job as a teller at the local Wells Fargo branch around the same time and started juggling work and school.
It didn’t take long for Cabello to become immersed in his work at the bank and start climbing the Wells Fargo career ladder. Then he met his wife, Brenda, at work, and the couple married and started a family. Cabello credits Brenda and his children with giving him the motivation to overcome life’s hurdles and pursue self-improvement over the years.
“Everybody needs that something that makes them get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other,” he said. “For some it is money or a title or whatever. For me, it’s Brenda and the kids.”
— Oscar Cabello
In 2001, the family moved to Modesto because Cabello was promoted to manager of the bank’s downtown branch. By that time, he had put his college education on the back burner and was focusing his energy on his career and providing his family with the financially stable and predictable home life he didn’t know as a child but always wanted.
In recent years, Cabello has turned some of his focus back to his college education. He’s been taking courses online and is steadily working toward a bachelor’s degree. He says he is frequently reminded of his love of education and may pursue a second career as an educator after he retires from banking.
Meanwhile, Cabello and his wife have watched their four children grow and pursue their own educational journeys and careers.
Their oldest son, Oscar, graduated from UC Merced and is an engineer at Blue Diamond in Sacramento. Son Jonathon is attending Stan State and planning to be a teacher, while their son Christian will soon be transferring to Stan State from Modesto Junior College to pursue a degree in psychology. Their youngest, Caeley, is a senior looking forward to graduation from James C. Enochs High School in the spring.
After 20 years in Modesto, Cabello says it is truly his home. He hopes his work with Stan State ultimately helps to keep more college graduates in the region so they can help the community flourish.
“I think this area needs people who grew up here, got educated here and really have a passion for Modesto and Stanislaus County overall,” he said. “We need to keep those people here. That is how we can make this community even better. I hope I’m doing my part to make that happen.”
