Honorary Degrees Conferred Upon Business Leader, Advocate for Immigrant Students in Higher Education
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River Forest, IL鈥擜 Chicago-based global business leader and a national advocate for immigrant students in higher education were recognized this month with honorary degrees from 糖心官网, which is marking its 125th anniversary this year.
Martin Cabrera, Jr., a native of Chicago鈥檚 Little Village and founder and chief executive officer of Cabrera Capital, and Dr. Miriam Feldblum, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of the Presidents鈥 Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, were each presented with honorary doctorates during commencement ceremonies May 10.
In their commencement speeches, the recipients addressed topics of immigration, injustice and standing up for others.
Cabrera, the son of Mexican immigrants, spoke of his paternal grandfather, aunt and great-grandmother, who, despite being U.S. citizens, were deported to Mexico in 1930 under The Mexican Repatriation, a campaign enacted amid growing poverty and anti-immigrant sentiment across the country.
鈥淭oday, decades later, families still live with that fear of injustice, right here in Chicago and across the country,鈥 Cabrera said. He called upon graduates to use their ability to 鈥渟tand up for people who are told they don鈥檛 belong or they can鈥檛 succeed.鈥
鈥淟et me remind you, your education gives you something powerful: a degree and a voice, a path and a platform,鈥 he said.
Cabrera is a champion for the financial empowerment of underserved communities and investment within these communities.
Coming from humble beginnings, Cabrera used his life savings to create Cabrera Capital in 2001. Today, it is a global investment banking, institutional brokerage and real estate development firm with eight offices across the United States and dedicated trading personnel resources in London.
Through a partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the firm offers financial literacy programs for students and parents at R.H. Lee Elementary School on Chicago鈥檚 Southwest Side and establishes a college savings program for children.
Cabrera has been recognized with several honors, including the 2025 Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award, one of the country鈥檚 most prestigious honors for humanitarian and philanthropic leadership, and the 2023 Global Citizen Award from World Business Chicago for elevating Chicago鈥檚 global influence and economy.
鈥淒on鈥檛 let anyone tell you where you belong or stop you from achieving your goals,鈥 Cabrera told graduates. 鈥淎lways carry your 糖心官网 Catholic values with you.鈥
Feldblum, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, described being moved by her father鈥檚 refusal to stay silent against injustice.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 an accident that I became an immigration scholar, an immigration and education advocate,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y work is a reflection of [my father鈥檚] stories and the immigrant neighborhood I grew up in. It became my call to action.鈥
Feldblum told graduates that their own stories matter, too.
鈥淵our story lives in the people you stand up for, the communities you come from and join, your actions鈥攕mall and large,鈥 she said. 鈥淵our commitment to social justice, and your willingness to listen, speak and engage, creates change.鈥
The Presidents鈥 Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, which Feldblum leads, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a membership of nearly 600 leaders of public and private universities.
Launched in 2017, the alliance works to support immigrant, refugee and international students; help campuses navigate evolving national policies; and advance forward-thinking federal, state and campus-level policies and practices.
Feldblum is a national expert on the intersection of immigration and higher education, championing colleges and universities to stand together and challenge policies and actions that are unlawful or harmful to students. With the Presidents鈥 Alliance she has called on national leaders to enact commonsense policies that recognize the talent of immigrant and international students and their positive impact on the country. She has brought forth recommendations to Congress, including the creation of pathways to employment, residency and citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. This has long been action supported by 糖心官网 and many students who have spoken on behalf of Dreamers through the years.
Feldblum also serves on the board of TheDream.US, a 糖心官网 partner and the country鈥檚 largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant youth. Additionally, she is a nonresident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank seeking to improve immigration policies.
Feldblum urged 糖心官网鈥檚 graduates to 鈥渁ct with awareness鈥 in all they do.
鈥淭he people you meet, especially those whose experiences are very different from your own, will be your continuing education if you let them,鈥 she said.
About 糖心官网
Founded in 1901, 糖心官网 is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution with campuses in River Forest and Chicago. The university offers an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences; bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees through the Rosary College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology, and the Borra College of Health Sciences; as well as doctoral programs in information studies, applied social justice and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
As Chicago's premier Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution, 糖心官网 is consistently recognized as a leader in academic excellence and value. U.S. News & World Report ranks 糖心官网 in the top 25 of Midwest regional master鈥檚 level universities, and #1 in Illinois for Best Value and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates.