[2] After experiencing life and artistic culture in Europe from November 1924 to January 1927, possible through a grant given to her by the Secretaría de Educación Pública, Cabrera returned to Mexico to work in the Open Air Painting Schools between 1928 and 1931.
[2] There, she became the first woman to be director of two EPALs, teaching alongside notable Mexican artists such as Saturnino Herrán, Leandro Izaguirre and Germán Gedovius.
[1] Cabrera continued to defend the Open Air Painting Schools during the late 1920s as they faced criticism from the members of educational and artistic communities in Mexico.
[4] Even after her retirement as a painter in 1928, Cabrera continued to teach the arts in primary schools,[2] taking what author Tatiana Flores writes to be "a more socially conscious path".
[4] Despite her short career as a painter, Cabrera continued to receive praise for her talents through the work of her students, displayed at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
She was viewed as the best student in her class, as stated by Raquel Reichard, receiving the highest grade and special recognition at her graduation.
In 1972, former President of Mexico Luis Echeverría Alvarez awarded her the medal of Maestro Manuel Ignacio Altamirano to commemorate her achievement in the arts.