These Seniors At Wesley Chapel’s High Schools Were Voted As Outstanding! 

It’s that time of year again, when high school seniors approach the finish line, reflecting on all that they’ve accomplished in high school and getting ready for graduation. Valedictorians at each school will be named and will receive accolades for having their school’s highest grade point average. 

Wesley Chapel’s public high schools also each honor an overall outstanding senior, recognized for being well-rounded leaders on campus, while also maintaining excellence academics. At each school, students vote for who they think should represent their class as their school’s most outstanding senior, and then the faculty votes to choose the winner. 

Please note that one of Wesley Chapel’s high schools — the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation — doesn’t have a senior class this year, so no Kirkland student is featured below. Even so, we offer our congratulations to the outstanding seniors at each of the other three high schools in Wesley Chapel. 

Cypress Creek High 
Katya La Costa 

Katya La Costa maintains a 4.4 GPA, is an athlete who captains the varsity volleyball team and was a track & field Regional qualifier. She also leads key events and clubs, and is her school’s go-to videographer. 

She started a spirit club to organize dress up days, decorates for games and even started away game buses for students, explains Cassie Adley, Cypress Creek High’s college and career specialist. 

Katya also started a brunch for new students, where they are invited to share a meal and make connections. 

“She advertises everything on social media with clever posts and phenomenal videography,” Cassie explains. “At the start of the brunch, Katya plays her video which introduces key people at the school, clubs, school spirit, online platforms and more.” 

Katya plans to pursue nursing and participated in a pilot internship program at the University of South Florida while still a student at Cypress Creek. While maintaining impressive grades, extracurricular leadership, sports and an internship, she also worked part-time at Ice Dreammm Shop. 

“Katya is one of a kind,” says Cassie. “She is intelligent…motivated….respectful… hard- working…kind-hearted…and diligent.” 

Wesley Chapel High 
Joshua Moua 

Joshua Moua is an Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma candidate, which means he not only took rigorous AP classes, but went above and beyond to earn the Capstone designation by taking designated AP classes that develop skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing and presenting. 

Beyond the classroom, Joshua is president of Wesley Chapel High’s Student Government, National Spanish, National English and National Honor Societies, and secretary of the school’s National Social Studies Honor Society. He is a graduate of Youth Leadership Pasco County, founded and serves as president of the school’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) club and is the co-founder and co-president of the school’s first ever Asian Student Association. 

“We are so pleased to have Joshua represent our class,” says Kelly Faysash, Wesley Chapel High’s college and career specialist. “He is a dynamic, motivated young man who truly recognizes the importance of education. He is a model for our students in perseverance, responsibility, initiative and creativity.” 

His nomination letter calls him “a friend to everyone,” saying he “sets the standard” for other students to look up to as an example of good citizenship. 

“Joshua has a very bright future ahead of him and we are thrilled to call him a Wildcat,” adds Kelly. 

Wiregrass Ranch High 
Tanmay Patil 

Tanmay Patil’s rigorous academic classes have included many Advanced Placement courses, and despite the challenge, he has maintained a perfect, unweighted 4.0 grade point average. 

“Throughout his high school career, he has taken honors, dual enrollment and AP level coursework,” explains Diamela Vergne, assistant principal at Wiregrass Ranch High. “For this school year, Tanmay was the only student at the school who qualified as a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.” 

He did that by scoring an impressive 1480 on his PSAT exam, a score he later topped by earning a near-perfect 1560 on the SATs. 

While his academic record is impressive, Tanmay also serves as president of one of the largest clubs in the school, the service-oriented Key Club, with 115 members. He also is his school’s ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. In addition, Tanmay also volunteers at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hospital as part of his school’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. 

“Tanmay embodies exemplary scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and service,” says Diamela. 

Life Guard Imaging — Saving Lives While Honoring Founder’s Father 

The 3D imaging scanner at Life Guard Imaging in the Rocky Point area of Tampa allows those concerned about their overall health to have a full-body scan that can help save their lives by detecting a number of diseases early. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Imagine being a medical professional, feeling a little off and undergoing a hospital CT (computed tomography) scan of your stomach because, with your background, you know when something is wrong in your body. You receive a clean bill of health despite not feeling well, only to receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer 10 months later and tragically lose your battle in six short weeks. 

Due to gaps in the standard scan you, as a doctor, trusted, it failed to detect cancer on the backside tail of your pancreas, and it went untreated. While healthcare in the US is better than in many places, the downside is that it still is more reactive than proactive. 

After losing his father, surgeon Benjamin J. Maldonado, Jr., 25 years ago to this usually deadly form of cancer, Frank Maldonado was inspired to establish Life Guard Imaging with his wife Amy. 

The company opened in Tampa on Rocky Point Dr., off the Courtney Campbell Cswy. in Tampa in August 2021 to be easily accessible to the (predominantly) older demographic that has had their medical needs unchecked but who want to be proactive about their health. A second location of Life Guard Imaging opened in October 2023 in Phoenix, AZ, and a third location is coming to Sarasota in the summer. 

Unlike traditional scanners, Life Guard Imaging’s low-radiation, high-resolution 3D imaging scanners are programmed with slices that are so thin that they can capture something as small as a 2 mm ball-bearing-sized shadow. 

“At that detectable size, we can monitor it to make sure it doesn’t become something dangerous or if it is something dangerous, have it eradicated early enough,” says Maldonado, who is Life Guard Imaging’s director of operations. “With these thin slices, we see things so small that we can often capture them before they become metastatic, hitting the lymph nodes and spreading throughout the body. Our patients are surviving diseases that are taking millions of lives a year. Our motto is saving lives through early detection.” 

Your full-body scan at Life Guard Imaging can help detect deadly diseases before they become deadly. 

Life Guard Imaging’s detailed scans reveal insights well beyond what basic bloodwork can show. Much like a mammogram, your first scan acts as a baseline for all future scans. If anything changes, your doctor can plan a course of action. The CT scan radiation dosage is so low that it is safe to do annually or, if necessary, even multiple times a year 

“From the shoulders to the base of the pelvis, we are trying to find things at the earliest possible moment,” Maldonado says. “Even a deadly disease like cancer, if it’s found early enough, can be survivable.” 

The company’s vision is to bring this technology and capability to as many cities, states and potentially even other countries as possible. Maldonado and his team want to allow people to detect these once-silent killers before the first symptoms are felt. 

“Because, generally, that’s when it’s too late,” he explains. 

Life Guard Imaging offers a comprehensive scan of your vital organs. Among the services available are: 

• Coronary artery calcium scans that can detect and quantify calcium in the arteries of your heart, allowing you to know your risk for blockage and a potentially life-threatening heart attack. 

• Lung scans that can visualize nodules as small as 2 mm, detect diseases, particularly lung cancer, early, while it is early and more treatable. 

• Comprehensive and gentle colon examinations with Life Guard’s “virtual colonoscopy” scan that does not require any anesthesia, dyes or long probes. 

• CT bone density scans that use X-rays via computed tomography to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone and calculate your risk of breaking a bone. This scan can be added to a lung or full body scan. 

• The most comprehensive scan is the full body scan. It can uncover abnormalities and changes that occur in the vital organs of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. 

New Technology 

The team is excited about upcoming additions to the facility. Life Guard Imaging just got a new scanner that is significantly faster and allows for half the radiation dose of prior machines. 

“We also have ultrasound equipment coming and will be able to do carotid artery screenings,” says director of imaging Stephanie Martin. And, upcoming is totally AI (artificial intelligence) calcium scoring software that’s not out on the market yet, but it’s going to be coming. It’s always good to have an extra set of computer eyes. All scans are performed by registered CT techs and read by Board-certified radiology doctors. We’re really confident about the results that we’re putting out.” 

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers placekicker Martin Gramatica was so impressed by the service he received he became part of the team. Gramatica, who is now Life Guard’s VP of Business Development, says, “We tell our patients we want you to come in before your first symptom. We want people to know they can come in and do a preventive scan. Our goal is to open one to three new locations per year and keep the family atmosphere. Our patients are the priority, from the front desk to the patient advocate to when they get their scans.” 

Life Guard’s VP of Business Development (and former Tampa Bay Bucs placekicker) Martin Gramatica joined the team because he was so impressed with the services.

He adds, “When our patients come in, they will meet with a patient advocate who will explain other scans. The patient will be in the scanner for 5-6 minutes. It’s very fast. It’s an 18-inch donut; patients’ heads never go through the donut, so there are no issues with claustrophobia. It will probably take them longer to walk to the scanner than the actual scan.” 

Though preventive scans, like those at Life Guard Imaging, are not covered by insurance, the company offers individual scan pricing, a comprehensive, affordable Legacy Imaging program, and also accepts Care Credit. 

“Our Legacy Imaging program is a few dollars a day, less than a Starbucks coffee,” Gramatica says. “The first full body scan is the baseline, and everything is compared year to year. If anything changes, we’re going to catch it early. The sooner cancer or heart disease is caught, the higher the percentage of survival, avoiding chemotherapy and radiation, and having a good quality of life. We find many things before they become deadly, and that’s the goal. We’re literally saving one to three lives per day.” 

Life Guard Imaging also honors current and veteran military, firefighters and police officers with discounted programs on its diagnostic imaging services. 

Maldonado adds, “This technology has existed for over 25 years. Tell me how it’s possible that it is not readily available all around the country, let alone all around the world? Our goal is to help as many people as possible. The fact that people don’t know this is available in the medical world is a tragedy. For every life we save, hundreds of thousands are lost. We’re giving people more time on earth, more memories with their families, and more good to be done in the world. More people need to have access to this.” 

Despite being open less than three years, Life Guard Imaging has hundreds of testimonials from people who say their lives were saved with early detection. One of those is Tuyen Tran, who says she only got scanned herself in June 2023 because her husband Vihn went for one. To their surprise, it was Tuyen who ended up being diagnosed with Stage 1B lung cancer, despite having never been a smoker, as well as with fibroid masses in her uterus, all of which have been removed. 

“My pulmonologist said that it was very unusual for a lung malignancy to be found so early,” Tuyen says. “He said that most people don’t get checked until they have symptoms, which is usually Stage 3 or 4, or too late to be helped. Instead, now we’re just watching it every six months with my oncologist. I just want everyone to know that it works.” 

Vihn adds, “I believe that Life Guard Imaging has, essentially, saved my wife’s life. It was well worth it (the cost). Even if they find nothing, that’s OK, too. It’s good to have that peace of mind.” 

Life Guard Imaging is located at 3001 N. Rocky Point Dr., Suite 185. For more information, visit LifeGuardImaging.com, call (813) 524-1010. You will receive a heart scan at no cost if you mention this story. This reporter made an appointment for a scan after conducting this interview. 

Upgrade Your Home For Less With Hangliter Residential! 

(L.-r.) Ken Hangliter, Sr., Ken Hangliter, Jr., Jordan Hangliter and Jarrett Hangliter of Hangliter Residential, LLC, are the licensed 
contractors you want to turn to for kitchen, bath and other home remodeling projects. (Photos provided by Jordan Hangliter) 

“Residential remodeling is all we know and all we do,” says Jordan Hangliter. “It runs in our blood.” 

The Hangliters are a proud family of all-around handymen. Four generations ago, Bobby Hangliter started in the remodeling business, and since 1983, Ken Hangliter and his sons have continued the family business with their company, Hangliter Residential, LLC. 

With decades of experience in home remodeling, repairs and restoration, the Hangliters are licensed contractors specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodeling, but they do all types of residential work. They pride themselves on delivering exceptional service and high-quality work. 

“We are licensed and bonded in the state of Florida as home improvement contractors,” says Jordan. “We always treat each project we complete as if we are doing it for our own family.” 

Ken Hangliter and his sons Ken Jr., Jordan and Jarrett certainly work well together as a family. At one point, because the three sons were living in three different states — Florida, Maryland, and Ohio — they were actually completing projects across the country. But, with Jordan moving to Wesley Chapel over a year ago to join his father and brother Jarrett, who were already living in the area, the Hangliters now mainly work in Florida. 

“We of course serve the Wesley Chapel area, but we are happy to take projects in neighboring towns like Zephyrhills, Dade City, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa, and even as far south as Tampa,” says Jordan. 

Recently, the Hangliters have been busy with full bathroom remodels — updating older homes, converting tubs and Jacuzzis into walk-in showers, installing custom bathroom tile from floor to ceiling and more. 

When it comes to kitchens, the Hangliters have experience with “just about everything from A to Z,” says Jordan. 

“With the exception of projects that require heavy new electrical or plumbing installation, we can usually do it all,” explains Jordan. “No need to work with five different contractors, like an electrician, plumber, etc. We do everything ourselves and we don’t sub out our work out to anyone else.” 

Beyond kitchen and bathroom work, the Hangliters also can install custom windows, doors and flooring, repair lighting, HVACs and plumbing — and much more. 

Let Hangliter Residential create the kitchen of your dreams, too. 

Jordan emphasizes that regardless of the size of the project, it never hurts to contact Hangliter Residential. You might just hear of options — and pricing estimates — that competitors won’t offer. 

“We’ve definitely heard from customers with projects in which the big companies offer expensive estimates or flat out just say no,” Jordan says. “Then, the only option is to scrap everything and start over. But, we are comfortable with undertaking non-conventional solutions that other companies won’t even consider.” 

New customers David and Debbie Morgan shared a wonderful experience that they had with Hangliter Residential LLC when they completed an extensive door and window repair in their home six months ago. 

“Hangliter Residential saved us over $15,000,” says David. “Ken did an amazing job on the remodel and restoration of our 50+-year-old Colonial-style home! We had an estimate from another company to replace eight windows and three exterior doors for over $34,000, due to rotten wood damage from the wet Florida weather. Ken looked at all of the windows and assured me that he could REPAIR them all, and that a complete replacement would be a huge waste of money!” 

He adds, “Ken told us that his repair would preserve the original, classic look of our home. Our final cost came to less than half of our original estimate, plus he did three extra windows! Ken did an absolutely incredible job and the results far exceeded my high expectations.” 

With those savings, the Morgans decided to renovate one of their bathrooms with Ken as well. 

“We partially ‘invested’ the money we saved into a brand new, custom, complete shower and bathroom renovation that we had Ken do for us as well,” David explains. “He completely removed the old walls, down to the 2 x 4 studs, and the leaking shower floor. We had him make the new shower door opening about six inches wider, and he suggested to drop down the new step-in height by several inches as well. Ken was able to build us a new shower that looks like it belongs in a four- or five-star vacation resort!” 

“And,” he adds, “Ken worked here for five and sometimes six days a week for us. He was here for over three months doing literally over a dozen different repairs, upgrades, remodeling, neglected maintenance, etc. Don’t underestimate his ability to make your dreams of home improvement a reality.” 

To schedule a free design consultation estimate with Hangliter Residential, LLC, call (813) 460-4548 today.

Business Briefs — Updates On The New Publix & The Latest Chamber Breakfast 

The very cool beer & wine bar at the new Publix on Overpass Rd. at Curley Rd. 

When Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I visited the new Publix supermarket at 32265 Overpass Rd. (at the corner of Curley Rd.) in a new shopping center called Innovation Springs, I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, drinking beer and wine at a supermarket isn’t anything new — I’ve had free samples at other Publixes and been able to walk around with wine at the local Sam’s Club — so I just had to go check it out and report back to you. 

First of all, even though there’s no hard liquor being sold (despite the fact a Publix Liquor Store is adjacent to the grocery store), this is the first time I’ve seen an actual bar inside a supermarket. And, the prices for the name label beer and wine are not only great, Publix’s policy of not allowing tipping of employees — although foreign to me at any bar — keeps the prices on everything even lower. 

For example, nice pours of popular Lamarca prosecco are only $6, glasses of two different kinds of Santa Margherita pinot grigio are just $8, 16-oz. pours of Keel Farms Agrarian Strawberry-Lime Cider are only $5 and my 32-oz. growler of Florida Ave. Dead Parrot was only $9, plus $4 additional if you keep the growler. If you return it at the end of your visit (or even sometime in the future), you get the $4 back. And, there also is covered outside and even private upstairs seating so you can watch shoppers checking out everything in the store. 

This 55,000-sq.-ft. Publix between Epperson and Watergrass is only the third such prototype store in Florida, and it is so much more than just a beer and wine bar. It’s clear that Publix is attempting to emulate the success of Whole Foods and other usually more upscale “green” grocers with not only an olive bar and expanded deli and hot foods sections (although a large portion of the prepared hot foods section wasn’t available when we visited), but also really decent (albeit not hot when we got it) pizza by the slice, a craft-it-yourself burrito and “bowl” bar and much more. 

The bottom line is that the new store is very cool and the prices overall didn’t seem higher than what I pay at my now-old-hat, closer-to-home Publix stores. So, even though it’s kind of far away from where we live, Janna h and I will surely be back. 

Thanks, Alexis! 

North Tampa Bay Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy, with Tampa Bay Business Journal editor-in-chief Alexis Muellner at the Chamber’s Feb. Business Breakfast.

After 30 years of successfully serving the communities of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, there are very few Tampa Bay-area media members I truly look up to in terms of their accomplishments. 

One of those, however, is definitely Tampa Bay Business Journal (TBBJ) editor-in-chief Alexis Muellner. Now in his 25th year with American City Business Journals and 20th year in his position at the TBBJ, I have spoken with this Wesley Chapel resident on numerous occasions throughout his tenure and he is a well-respected reporter and editor whose knowledge of the business climate throughout the Tampa Bay region is second to none. 

I truly enjoyed his “fireside chat” with North Tampa Bay Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy at the Feb. 6 NTBC Business Breakfast at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus and I was glad to be able to provide him with some additional information about Pasco County’s struggle with the state’s new Live Local Act. Great job, Alexis! 

Upcoming Events: St. Paddy’s Day At O’Brien’s, Book Signing & Book Sale! 

Although we no longer have a regular Community Calendar listing in our print issues, there are a number of upcoming events that merit your consideration, so we decided to include as many of them here as possible. 

If you have an event upcoming that takes place after March 19, feel free to email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com and I will see about getting it included in our next New Tampa issue. 

Friday, February 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. & Saturday, February 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. p.m. — The Friends of the New Tampa Library’s Annual Giant Book Sale. The Friends of the New Tampa Library will host their annual Giant Book Sale at the New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.). With most books being sold for just 50 cents, all proceeds will benefit the library’s Summer Reading programs for children and events and classes for all age groups.

Monday, February 26, 7 p.m. — Monthly meeting of the New Tampa Democratic Club. The New Tampa Democrats are gearing up for the upcoming 2024 Presidential and local election season. For more information, see the ad to the right. 

Wednesday, February 28, 6 p.m. -8 p.m. — Book Launch Performance & Book Signing for Running From Yesterday by Margarette Allyn. Margarette Allyn (photo, right) is an author, speaker and dancer who believes in the healing power of making choices guided by instinct, intuition and faith. 

Two unexpected episodes played pivotal roles in Margarette’s life, introducing her to the world of the performing arts. 

The first was watching “The Nutcracker” on TV. The second was encountering the iconic TV show “Fame,” which struck a chord with its relatable characters and stories that felt just like her own. Dance soon became Margarette’s refuge — a way to escape and express herself. Her dance aspirations took flight when she was accepted into Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts — the real “Fame” school — in New York’s Upper West Side. 

Author & performer Margarette Allyn will sign her book Running From Yesterday & dance at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Feb. 28. (Photo provided by Margarette Allyn) 

It was a dream that seemed beyond reach, especially for a young woman from Harlem. But, Margarette held onto the idea that the sky has no limits. However, unforeseen circumstances, ego and personal choices halted her burgeoning dance career, crushing her dreams of attending Juilliard and leaving her with a deep sense of loss. 

At the age of 24, Margarette embarked on a new path, joining the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Despite battling an overwhelming cloud of dread, despair and her complex relationship with alcohol, she clung fiercely to her discipline, determination, and the will to truly live. 

Supported by her loyal friends and colleagues, she dedicated twenty years to her police career, retiring as a Sergeant in 2019. 

Today, Margarette resides in New Tampa with her husband and two sons. 

This remarkable journey serves as the focal point of her inspiring memoir, Running From Yesterday, A True Story of Hope, Courage, and Love. Grateful for the grace and mercy bestowed upon her, Margarette finds purpose in giving back to those she mentors, is dancing once again, accepts motivational and inspirational speaking engagements and looks forward to many more years of being on stage. 

Friday-Sunday, March 15-17 — Three-Day St. Patrick’s Day Parking Lot Celebration at O’Brien’s Irish Pub. O’Brien’s (5429 Wesley Chapel Village Market) will again be hosting the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Wesley Chapel with an indoor-outdoor party every day of St. Paddy’s Day weekend. 

On Friday, MoonShine Abby will be performing from 8 p.m.-midnight. According to their website, MoonShine Abby is “the best blend of mature artistry, vigorous technique, and honed skill all wrapped up into a high-energy, party-style band. 

What’s a St. Pat’s Day party without bagpipes? You can come out to here pipers on Saturday and Sunday. On Sat., 25-year-old Gemma Briggs (plays the pipes from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Gemma says she is, “passionate about providing high-quality bagpipe music, professionalism and an unforgettable touch to any occasion.” 

Gemma (photo right) will be followed at 8 p.m. on Sat. night by the Ryan Marchand Band. 

Ryan’s website says he uses “live-looping (to create) sonic landscapes with layered beat-box percussion, vocal harmonies, and a bevy of guitar effects to cover the frequency and timbre spectrum. He draws inspirations from studio albums from Pink Floyd, The Beatles and more.” 

Then, the main event at O’Brien’s will be held on Sun., St. Paddy’s Day itself. 

From 4 p.m.-7 p.m., “The Irishman” Capt. Kirk, will play all of your favorite Irish tunes. Inside, from 7 p.m.-midnight, DJ SAF will spin dance music inside, but outside, the City of Mt. Dora pipe band will play your St. Pat’s favorites from 7:30 p.m.-8 p.m. 

Then, the Daniel Sprouse Band will play your favorite rock and country hits from 8 p.m.-midnight outside. 

Please note that no coupons will be accepted all weekend at O’Brien’s and there will be a $10 cover charge on Sun. only. For more info, call (813) 97309988 or visit ObriensWesleyChapel.com.