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Sam Noyola ’13 and Danny Rubalcaba ‘13

Alumni set goal to raise $24K in one day

Meet Sam Noyola ’13 and Danny Rubalcaba ’13, best friends on a mission to help the next generation of exercise science majors at UTSA.

The duo met four years ago while students at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Back then they had one goal in mind, graduate with degrees in exercise science. Thanks in part to scholarships and grants they were able to make that happen. Now the pair is giving back to their alma mater by establishing a scholarship.

"The best trainers are those who earn a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, and at UTSA students with a passion for health and fitness are receiving a top-notch education that is preparing them for the real world,” said Noyola, who along with Rubalcaba have been personal trainers since 2008.  “We want to help them achieve their goals of graduating.”

Rubalcaba a San Antonio native, and Noyola who is originally from Corpus Christi, quickly bonded over fitness during their freshman year.

“Late nights and long days—it was hard work to earn our degrees,” said Rubalcaba. “But thanks in part to scholarships we made it.”

After graduating in 2013, the duo continued working as personal trainers. But they had always dreamed of opening their own facility. They partnered together to open Alio, a premiere fitness club in San Antonio.

With large screens and an intimate ambiance, Alio isn’t a typical gym. You won’t see a treadmill, StairMaster or speed bike, but rather a spacious room with state-of-the-art workout equipment. Since opening its door nearly six months ago, the club has quickly gained notoriety as a unique exercise space unlike any other.

Finding success Noyola and Rubalcaba decided it was time to give back. In early spring they decided to establish the Alio Fitness Club Scholarship. Benefiting exercise science majors in the College of Education and Human Development, the scholarship will be awarded annually to students with a passion for health and fitness.

The pair is hosting the Alio Fitness-On Challenge, a 24-hour event raising money for the scholarship— their goal, to raise $24K in one day for scholarships.

“The event will raise money by training 24 different groups over 24 consecutive hours,” said Noyola. “We invite individuals, companies or organizations to join the challenge by making a gift and signing up for an hour workout.”

The event will take place July 20-21 at the Alio Fitness Club. If you or your department/organization are interested in joining the challenge visit giving.utsa.edu/alio, or contact Raitza Garcia at 210-458-6505, raitza.garcia@utsa.edu.

-Yvonne Zamora Byrd