WRH Co-Valedictorian Rachel Sawah Heads To USF’s Med Program With Her A.A.

Rachel Sawah is not only the co-valedictorian at WRH, she also has earned her A.A. degree from Pasco Hernando State College by taking dual enrollment classes.

While many high school seniors struggle to figure out what they want to do next, Rachel Sawah says she knows exactly where she’s headed. She says the journey that’s gotten her to this point in life has helped her to determine her plans for the future.

She just graduated from Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) as the class of 2017’s co-valedictorian, with a weighted GPA of 4.79. While a student there, she also took many dual enrollment classes at Pasco Hernando State College, which allowed her to also graduate with her Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree this spring.

“Dual enrollment was a rewarding experience because I was able to take college classes in a college setting,” she says, “so I believe I am now better prepared for a university setting. Plus, there’s a greater variety of courses available in dual enrollment, such as microbiology, that I didn’t have in high school.”

Courses like microbiology have helped Rachel determine that she will study neurology and hopefully become a neurologist or neurosurgeon someday. “I thought I wanted to be a doctor, just a family practitioner,” she says, “but I didn’t have any specialization in mind. I feel that taking those extra upper level courses enabled me to find my certain path.”

And, she admits, those upper level courses also helped her GPA, which helped secure her spot as co-valedictorian.

In the fall, she’ll attend the University of South Florida, where she’ll enter the school’s honors B.S.M.D. (Bachelor of Science/Medical Doctor) program, a combined, accelerated program that allows students to graduate with both degrees in just seven years. For Rachel, having already earned her A.A. degree, it could take even less time than that.

“For now, I anticipate finishing my Bachelor’s degree in one or two years,” she says. “Then I might even apply to some upper level medical schools.”

Whether she transfers out of the University of South Florida or not, she’s happy to be getting her start there. She was accepted to and offered scholarships at several other Florida schools, but staying close to home was the most attractive to her.

“Financially speaking, USF was the best offer,” Rachel says. “They have a great pre-med program and I have basically a full ride, covering books and everything.”

She’ll live at home and commute to the school. “It’s really nice to stay at home with my family,” she says, which includes her mom and dad, two sisters, and a new baby brother.

While she feels she’s well prepared for college and is looking forward to it, she says her experience of being off campus for the last year of her high school experience has not been a detriment.

“I was still involved in a lot of activities (at WRH),” she says, “I was on the varsity tennis team and in Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta math honor society, National Honor Society, and HOSA.” She explains HOSA is the Health Occupation Students of America, a student-led health organization for people interested in the medical field, with international competitions, in which she placed first in the state in a speech competition, both her junior and senior year.

In addition, Rachel says she completed more than 400 volunteer hours during high school, with more than 200 of those at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, plus other organizations and activities like the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

Those service hours at the hospital also have helped her find her path toward a career in the medical field. “It’s helped to guide me because you see the doctors and you can help them and ask questions,” she says. “Having these in-person experiences, and taking many college courses, all of this is learning for the real world. I’m excited to start the next chapter.”

Wiregrass Ranch High Co-Valedictorian Lauren Payne Follows Her Sister To UF

Wiregrass Ranch High co-valedictorian Lauren Payne will follow her sister Emily to the University of Florida.

Lauren Payne says she wasn’t necessarily trying to earn the title of valedictorian of the 2017 class at Wiregrass Ranch High, but that’s where her hard work and smart choices landed her.

She recently graduated as co-valedictorian, with a weighted GPA of 4.79.

“I chose my classes based on what I thought was going to be interesting,” Lauren says, not with having the toughest schedule in mind. “I took a mix of AP (Advanced Placement) classes and dual enrollment, and they were all good.” She says her favorites — among courses such as AP calculus B/C, government and statistics — were her dual enrollment world literature and AP biology classes. What did she take for fun? “Oceanography and anthropology were like electives,” she says.

“Lauren has a really strong work ethic,” says her mom, Janet. “It is really important for her to try her best and challenge herself.”

Lauren’s natural drive to try her hardest has earned her some pretty impressive credentials. For example, she’s a National Merit Scholarship winner. This makes her eligible for a program called the Benacquisto scholarship, where the State of Florida provides a financial award equal to the cost of attendance at a Florida school, including tuition and fees, on-campus room and board, books, supplies, travel and miscellaneous expenses remaining after using  award given by the National Merit Scholar program and the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program.

Lauren is taking her Benacquisto scholarship to the University of Florida in Gainesville, the school from which her older sister Emily just graduated. Emily was WRH’s salutatorian in 2013.

“I chose UF because I’ve been visiting my older sister there since middle school,” she says, “and I always felt like I belonged.” UF also offered her its Presidential Scholarship, which offers $5,000, $8,000 (gold) and $10,000 (platinum) per year to in-state, high-achieving students.

Her plan is to major in microbiology and cell science and eventually work in the medical field. “It’s exciting to be on my own for the first time,” says Lauren, who has lived in the same house in Meadow Pointe her entire life, attending Sand Pine Elementary and John Long Middle School before WRH.

While she’s following her older sister’s footsteps into college, she also followed her athletically. Lauren watched Emily run cross country in high school, so she started running in middle school. Lauren became part of a team at WRH that won the Sunshine Athletic Conference Eastern Division championship this year.

“I looked up to my sister, so I thought running cross country looked like so much fun,” Lauren says. “Once I started, I really liked the coach and all the girls on the team, so I stuck with it, even though it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

She adds, “There are some days for everyone where it’s just a really rough run and it doesn’t feel fun or easy. There’s a point where you have to decide whether I’m going to stick through this. The experience with all the other girls on the team made the hard days worth it.”

In addition to being a scholar and an athlete, Lauren also was active on campus at WRH, as a class Senator all four years, president of Mu Alpha Theta (math honor society), a Ranch ambassador (representing the school at different events such as orientation and open house) and a member of both the National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society.

“She grew up liking to try a lot of different things, such as dance, swimming, and playing a couple of different instruments,’’ said her mother Janet. In fact, Janet says Lauren still plays violin but had to stop playing in the school’s orchestra.

“Orchestra is a big-time commitment,” Janet said, “Lauren had to make choices. She even did cheerleading for her first two years, but couldn’t keep doing all of those activities, so she had to make decisions about how to best spend her time.”

While Janet is proud of Lauren, she doesn’t seem at all surprised at her success. “Since Lauren was pretty young, she’s always had a curiosity about how things work and has been enthusiastic about school,’’ Janet said. “We’ve had great public schools and great teachers who have nurtured her along the way. Those things came together: good schools, good teachers, she gets a lot of support and she tries hard.”

New Tampa Wildcats 20 years old!

The New Tampa Wildcats, the first organized youth football and cheer program in New Tampa, was established in 1997 and will celebrate its 20th season beginning on July 5.

The Wildcats have their own field very close to County Line Rd. in the Live Oak Preserve area of New Tampa and provide a safe, fun environment for boys and girls ages 5-15. The program’s stated goal is to, “develop well-rounded young men and women who learn not only the fundamentals of football and cheerleading, but also the importance of education and teamwork.”

You don’t have to live in New Tampa to play or cheer for the Wildcats. For more information, visit http://www.NewTampaWildcats.org/, call (813) 501-5259.

New Audi Dealership In Wiregrass Ranch Holds Its Official Groundbreaking

Dirt and excitement are in the air at the groundbreaking for Audi Wesley Chapel, which will open later this year off S.R. 56, a mile or so east of the Shops at Wiregrass. (Photo by Stephen John Photography)

A high-tech concept in luxury car sales is coming to Wesley Chapel. Dimmitt Automotive Group has broken ground (and has already begun going vertical; see photo below left) on its new Audi dealership, a 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility off of S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch, that’s considered Audi’s most innovative retail experience yet.

Audi Wesley Chapel is expected to open in the fall of 2017 (“probably in November,” according to Dimmitt CEO Scott Larguier). The project, referred to as Audi Terminal, will be a modern, open-area facility (rendering, bottom right, from the Dimmitt Automotive Group) that’s designed to be fully client-centric.

“From the moment you enter the showroom, you’ll notice that the entire facility is designed with the customer experience at its core,” Larguier explained during the building’s May 22 groundbreaking ceremony, which included members of the Dimmitt family, Bill, JD and Quinn Porter and Scott Sheridan of Locust Branch, LLC (which is developing the Porter Family Trust property in Wiregrass), Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore and Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce CEO Hope Allen, as well as more than a dozen WCCC business members.

According to a Dimmitt press release, the Audi Terminal will “capture customers’ imaginations before they even walk in the door. Its stunning architecture will look like a modern art building. Inside, customers will be greeted with exciting Audi automobiles, iPads and luxury lounges filled with sleek leather club chairs.”

Larguier explained that the high-tech building is reflective of the high-tech luxury Audi vehicles that will be on display and sold inside.

What customers won’t see are sales desks and phones. “It’s the perfect union of elegant interaction and advanced technology,” Larguier said.

Audi Wesley Chapel is the latest example of Dimmitt Automotive Group’s commitment to an elevated car buying experience. The Dimmitt family already features Cadillac, Land Rover, Jaguar, Toyota, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and McLaren dealerships.

Everyone on hand praised not only the Porter and Dimmitt families, but also Pasco County for bringing yet another luxury brand to “the Chap,” as Allen loves to call it. Audi will open just a few months after Lexus of Wesley Chapel, which is being opened by the Williams Auto Group.

Will The Diverging Diamond Fix The I-75/S.R. 56 Interchange?

This rendering of the recently-opened Sarasota DDI is nearly identical to what will will be built at S.R. 56 and I-75 in Wesley Chapel, which the major exception being I-75 passes over the intersection, while in Wesley Chapel S.R. 56 passes over I-75

A diamond could be a commuter’s best friend, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

A diverging diamond, that is.

That was the message delivered by Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC, as he presented what he feels will be the solution to the snarled mess that is the S.R. 56 interchange of I-75 to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) on May 23, during a meeting at the Mercedes-Benz of Wesley Chapel dealership located just a few hundred feet from where the construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will begin.

Forrestel, the consultant design project manager for the $24.1-million Diverging Diamond Interchange project, told a group of roughly 20 representatives from affected  businesses like Havertys, Tampa Premium Outlets, Chick-Fil-A, Florida Hospital Center Ice and others that it will be a good news, bad news proposition.

The good: engineers say the DDI is going to make traffic smoother and more efficient and in the long run yield improved results for local businesses.

The bad: during the long-awaited construction beginning in fall of 2018, the already-congested interchange is likely to become even more clogged.

No one, however, was surprised.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us,’’ said Stacey Nance, the general manager of TPO, located just west of the DDI. “Is it going to be cumbersome? Absolutely it is.”

Forrestel’s presentation seemed to assuage some of the concerns of representatives from those local businesses, many of whom are concerned that shoppers already are avoiding the area because of the traffic.

Ryan Forrestel

The project, moved up twice from its original 2024 and then 2020 start dates, is expected to expedite traffic through the much-maligned interchange, which handles roughly 100,000 vehicles a day and connects many of the residents of Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Land O’Lakes to Tampa.

Forrestel said he will have the DDI plans drawn up by January, and then in June of 2018, bidding will begin to find the company to build it.

Construction should start by the fall of 2018, and Forrestel said it could tentatively take anywhere from 18-36 months to build.

“We haven’t gotten that far yet,’’ Forrestel said. “That’s just a safe range.”

The timing of the construction is a concern to local businesses, as it will likely conflict with the busiest shopping time of the year.

“The fear was starting in the fall,” Nance said. “If there is any concern, it’s that it is hitting us all at prime time.”

Forrestel said the current LOS, or Level of Service, of the interchange is “F,” and “it is only going to get worse before it gets better” as development continues on the north and south sides of S.R. 56, both on the west and east sides of the interchange

Much of the traffic is caused by morning commuters trying to get on I-75 southbound, and evening traffic trying to exit northbound, which can back up two miles from where I-75 splits to S.R. 56.

“On the northbound off ramp and southbound on ramp, we’re making a lot of changes,’’ said Forrestel, who said he drives past TPO every morning and sees the eastbound traffic backing all the way up to Old C.R. 54 (or Wesley Chapel Blvd.).

As part of the DDI project, however, that mile-long backup during peak morning hours is projected to be reduced to 300 feet once a second lane is added to the exit for people getting on I-75 southbound.

The other change, which Forrestel describes as minor but really important, is widening the northbound off ramp. He said the original design had four lanes, with a center lane serving as a shared lane for travelers going east or west. But, they found that it created confusion for drivers and had a significant impact on the traffic, so the exit will be widened where the barrier wall on the east side of the ramp ends, and will now be five lanes.

Three of those northbound exit lanes will be dedicated to go west (turn left onto 56), and two lanes will be dedicated to go east (or right onto 56).

“It will be a significant improvement,’’ Forrestel said.

The first DDI in Florida was recently completed in Sarasota — at the University Pkwy. exit (No. 213)  — and has drawn positive reviews (including from Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager, who will provide a video tour of the Sarasota DDI in the episode of WCNT-tv that will premiere on YouTube and Facebook on Friday, June 9), after nearly four years of construction that involved rebuilding everything. Forrestel said that the Wesley Chapel DDI project will involve no expansion of the overpass, although it will be reconfigured, so it shouldn’t take nearly as long to complete.

The median on the bridge, as well as the current walkways, will be eliminated to create an additional westbound lane, and the bridge (which is technically two bridges) will be connected. Pedestrians will be able to cross right down the center of the bridge.

Forrestel added there will be plenty of signs directing drivers. The fourth eastbound lane on S.R. 56 is being pulled back 500 feet, so signs can alert commuters much sooner about the interchange directions.

“All of these changes will be improving the efficiency of the interchange dramatically,” Forrestel said.

The real key to making it all work, however, remains the DDI’s signature crossovers, where the east and westbound lanes appear to cross over. Though other solutions were considered for the interchange — like a flyover similar to what was built an exit south at Bruce B. Downs Blvd. — the DDI was chosen for its ability to handle large swaths of traffic from both directions.

“Huge left turns lanes work best for the DDI,” Forrestel said. “In some places, they are a great solution; in other place they are a terrible solution.”

The Wesley Chapel interchange, however, it is expected to move more cars through the interchange in a free-flowing manner, as the left turn lanes will no longer be crossing in front of other traffic and only entail two phases of lights.

Forrestel showed a video of a DDI in Atlanta (which can be seen at youtu.be/gY8xU-UAQWs) which has fewer lanes but otherwise resembles the one coming to Wesley Chapel.

Forrestel said the timing of the lights will be adjusted to accommodate the busier traffic in the morning and evening.

The scope of the DDI project takes into account a model that projects traffic out to 2038 and considers the lengthening of S.R. 56 (one of the signs at the interchange will point you to Zephyrhills, in fact) as well as projected land uses in the Wiregrass Ranch area.

Local businesses asked that they be kept updated so they can inform customers of the construction. “We want everybody to be prepared,’’ said WCC CEO Hope Allen.