Roel and Sabrina Yambao: Their Never-Ending Love Story

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Roel Yambao ’02, ’04MS, and Sabrina Yambao ’04 have been inseparable since they met at UCF, more than 20 years ago. Early in their relationship, they made a simple yet profound promise: that “this day ends together,” a phrase they borrowed from a popular song at the time. While their journey hasn’t always been smooth — whether navigating the stresses of finding jobs after graduation, facing personal health crises, or handling the pressures of successful careers — the couple has remained steadfast in their commitment to each other. They’ve learned to keep Charging On.

Meeting Officially at a UCF Tailgate

During a recent interview, Roel and Sabrina found themselves momentarily unsure of exactly when or where they first met. Was it at one of the four campus-area restaurants, where they both worked? Or perhaps it was during a Spirit Splash event, when their hands brushed as they reached for the same rubber duck?

After a light-hearted debate, they recalled that they officially met at a UCF tailgate in December ‘02, held at the Citrus Bowl (now Camping World Stadium) where UCF football games were played until FBC Mortgage Stadium opened in 2007.

Roel had just earned his bachelor’s degree in health services administration, while Sabrina was a junior majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology and health sciences.

When Roel introduced himself at the tailgate, Sabrina asked him to repeat his name, which had been mispronounced so many times that he was used to it.

“Oh, I’m never going to remember that name,” Sabrina laughed.

With his characteristic charm, Roel launched into song: “Just remember ♫♪ Ro-El, Ro-El, Ro-El, Ro-El ♫♪,” to the tune of “The First Noel, and Sabrina was hooked.

Getting to Know Each Other

Beyond their immediate attraction, the couple quickly realized they shared deep values: a love for their faith, a devotion to family, and a strong commitment to education and career.

Roel’s story begins in the Philippines. When he was just 4 years old, he and his mother traveled to Indiana to reunite with his father, who had become a U.S. citizen and was determined to bring his family to America. Roel’s parents, fully aware of the political instability back home, saw the U.S. as a land of greater opportunity. They made sure that Roel and his brother understood the sacrifices they’d made and the expectations they held for their children.

Sabrina’s parents, originally from Butler, Pa., relocated to South Florida before their three daughters were born. They lived across the street from their elementary school, and Sabrina remembers how she and her sisters constantly competed to see who could get the best grades.

“When my younger sister graduated from college,” Sabrina recalls, “We all posed together in our caps and gowns. It was a proud moment for my parents to have all three of their children graduate from college.”

As their relationship deepened, Roel and Sabrina knew that marriage and starting a family were next. Early on, they agreed that no matter what life threw at them, they would hold onto the promise that “this day ends together,” a sentiment that has only grown more meaningful with time. While there have been moments when it wasn’t physically possible to be together at day’s end, they have always remained connected in spirit, their hearts, minds and souls intertwined.

Starting their Lives Together

Since their wedding in 2007, their journey has certainly had its share of challenges. Like many couples, they faced early concerns about spending and budgeting. But Sabrina, confident in Roel’s upward trajectory, knew these were just temporary hurdles. Smart, likable and a creative problem-solver, Roel always found a way forward.

One of his UCF professors had once told his class that to impress upper management, they needed to solve a problem the company had. Roel got that chance in 2007, just two years into his career at Florida Hospital. He had an idea: turn theme park tickets from the Walt Disney Company into donations for Florida Hospital for Children. This involved creating a platform for online giving, which was still a novel concept at the time.

Despite having no coding experience, Roel taught himself to build a simple, functional website. He collaborated with the finance team to enable online payments and worked with his small team to handle ticket distribution after donations were made.

“If viral was a word back then, that’s what happened,” Roel laughs. His marketing efforts, including promoting the initiative on Disney blogs, led to donations from all over the world. Within a short time, the campaign raised nearly $5 million for Florida Hospital for Children.

That’s when Roel started catching the attention of upper management.

“Sabrina was there every step of the way — encouraging me, pushing me, believing in me,” Roel says.

On an Upward Track – Together

As Roel’s career advanced, the couple decided Sabrina would stay home to care for their children — a choice that had always been part of their plan. They both feel fortunate to have had the option to raise their daughters, Valerie and Natalie, this way.

Valerie, 16, was born just after their first wedding anniversary. She is their first “rainbow baby,” a term for a child born after a pregnancy loss.

“When I was pregnant with Valerie, I was admitted to Winnie Palmer Hospital, where I worked at the time, on March 10, our anniversary, and she wasn’t born until April 8,” Sabrina recalls.

Throughout that time, Roel worked at Florida Hospital during the day and spent every night with Sabrina in her hospital room. Sabrina’s mother also came up from South Florida to stay with her daughter while Roel worked.

Sabrina’s mother was always there for her and her sisters when they came home from school and was there as much as possible when Valerie and Natalie were young.

“I found out after my first miscarriage that my mom had also experienced one,” Sabrina shares. “It was something her generation just didn’t talk about.”

Not long ago, one of Sabrina’s daughters asked her if she knew the term “rainbow baby.” Sabrina was taken aback but explained that both she and her sister were rainbow babies.

“My mom passed away last year from Alzheimer’s,” Sabrina says. “We lost her mother to the same disease. We know so much more about it now, but even with all that knowledge, it was too late to help my mom. It’s been hard on all of us, because she was the glue holding our family together.”

Roel adds: “During all these tough times, we lean on each other 100%. Our family isn’t nearby, but they come and stay for a while when they can. And we make the most of that time together.”

Not long after Sabrina’s mother passed away, the family faced yet another health crisis — but this time, it started out unexpectedly.

Roel and Sabrina complement each other well: Roel is the easygoing, “go-with-the-flow” type, while Sabrina tends to be a “doom-scroller,” always searching for the worst-case scenario.

Her Googling came in handy one day while the family was at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for Natalie’s citizenship award. Roel, sitting there, started feeling off.

“Was I having a cardiac event?” he wondered.

But he didn’t say anything. After all, they were there to celebrate Natalie, and the weird feeling would likely pass, he thought.

What struck Sabrina as odd was that Roel didn’t eat dinner later that night.

“This is a man who loves his food!” she laughs.

They figured it was just another kidney stone episode, something Roel had dealt with years earlier. So he drove himself to the hospital for a checkup.

After a series of tests, doctors informed Roel and Sabrina that he had cancer. Roel’s care team quickly went into action and scheduled him for surgery. The case was complex, but the lesion was able to be removed successfully with clean margins. He underwent six months of chemotherapy and recently got to “ring the bell” after finishing his treatment.

Now, Roel and Sabrina are looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. Valerie plays club volleyball and has even attended volleyball camp at UCF. She’ll be a senior this fall, and Roel and Sabrina are eager to see where the recruitment process takes her — while, of course, keeping UCF in mind as a track for academics. Natalie recently retired from competitive gymnastics after reaching Level 8. She grew five inches during a three-month injury break and is now exploring other sports to find the best fit.

Looking back on their time at UCF and beyond, Roel and Sabrina acknowledge that their journey hasn’t been without its challenges, but they’ve faced everything together.

“We’ve had our tough conversations, tears, and frustrations,” Roel says. “But no matter what’s going on — whether it’s today, this week, or this year — this day ends together. Now, with our family, it ends with all four of us.”

“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else,” Sabrina says. “I couldn’t do this with anyone else. It’s been hard, but at the end of the day, we’ve done it together—and we’re ready to face the next challenge.”