04-13-2023 Howard Magazine - Flipbook - Page 15
sister Christina and late brother Rob — with
teaching her valuable and occasionally
heartbreaking lessons that set her on a public
service career.
Her parents are Filipino immigrants who
settled in Bowie. The youngest of five children,
Cabellon had a political awakening at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her sister
Christina Lagdameo, a senior, was campaigning to establish an Asian American Studies
program, and knew she would graduate before
the fight was finished.
“She told me, ‘After I graduate, you need
to take up the baton,’” Cabellon recalled. She
immersed herself in Asian American history,
learning the first Filipino immigrants settled
in the U.S. in the 1600s and that during World
War II, 120,000 Japanese Americans were sent
to internment camps.
“These eye-opening facts unlocked a passion in me to contribute to the community,”
she said.
The university established its Asian American studies program in 2000, the first in the
Baltimore-Washington area, according to
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Cabellon.
But a big success was accompanied by
devastating tragedy. During Cabellon’s senior
year, her brother Rob Lagdameo, a recent
Peace Corps volunteer who was engaged to be
married, committed suicide.
“My family didn’t have a hint that anything
was wrong,” Cabellon said. “It ripped me apart.”
Cabellon’s family rallied around her while
dealing with their own grief.
“They told me, ‘Just because his life has
ended doesn’t mean that yours does,’” she said.
“What his death did was to unlock a deep, deep
empathy in me. I hadn’t realized the amount
of PTSD [post-traumatic stress syndrome]
existing in society.”
Though that support helped — a lot — Cabellon continued to struggle. After graduation,
she taught a special education class in San
Jose, California, for two years as part of Teach
for America.
“They were the most rambunctious students,” Cabellon said, “but they were amazing.
They inspired me every day.”
It was in California that Cabellon finally
surrendered to her grief.
“My faith became real,” she said. “I felt the
love of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit holding
me up. That was the miracle of my life.”
Graduate school followed. Cabellon received
a master’s degree in public policy in 2008 from
Harvard University, where she met (and was
later recruited by) then-Gov. Martin O’Malley.
Cabellon rose rapidly; when she left the governor’s office in 2015, she was assistant secretary
in the Department of Human Services.
That was followed by a three-year stint in
Montgomery County, where Cabellon managed
$38 million in social service programs. She
joined Ball’s office in 2018 as Howard County’s
first chief innovation officer.
Now, she’s working on moving the county
forward post-pandemic, from devising apprenticeship programs aimed at building the work
force to battling inflation.
“We’re faced with unprecedented challenges,” she said. “My job is ensuring Howard
County continues to be at the forefront of
places people want to live and work. It’s nice to
know we’re all in this together.”
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howardmagazine.com | Spring 2023 |
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