Tampa Bay News and Lifestyles. Westchase Magazine. Vol. 11, Issue 11, November 2022

Westchase’s Dr. B. Ngoc Pham is Hosting 3rd Annual Concert Gala Fundraiser for Crisis Center

By Deborah BostockKelley

Beyond being a longstanding family physician at her Westchase private practice, Proactive Prima ry Care, Dr. Ngoc Pham is also known in the com munity as the founder of Tre MedSpa and Tre Nail Lounge. Tre MedSpa opened in 2016, where patients receive aesthetic medical treatments such as Botox, fillers, facials, and laser hair removal. In 2020, Tre Nail Lounge was added to the med spa to provide a touch of ambience and pam pering with full-service manicures/pedicures and waxing services.

As she lives in the community she serves, she often runs into her patients in the West chase area.

“When you live and breathe and work in the same community, you definitely have that

closeness, that feeling that they support me and my medical practices here. So, I always try to find opportunities to give back to the community that we are a part of,” she said. “I see my pa tients all the time outside of clinic. They are local teachers, parents, neigh bors, and business own ers. I love that feeling of being embedded in my community.”

She enjoys catching up on her client’s chil dren’s successes, and her patients often ask about her family, especially her ten-year-old son Jacob.

At age four, he was discovered to be almost pitch-perfect, a musical piano prodigy who could hear a song, learn it, and replicate it on the piano keyboard within a week.

At age six, he was show cased on local television, and patients often asked if they could listen to him play.

This repeated re quest planted a seed about a musical concert, a fundraising event for the Crisis Center. Dr. Pham has been fundrais ing for the Crisis Center in other ways through the years, and this sparked a new way for her to fundraise for one of her favorite charities and to inspire her son to use his talents to give back to others. She has lost two nephews to depression and suicide, so the why and mission behind her concerts is something she is deeply passionate about and that is to bring aware ness to teenage mental health and help provide resources for HOPE to those that are in crisis.

“What if I did a neighborhood concert and invite other local performers, music stu dios, and dance studios?

I had such a wonderful, positive response. Our

Dr. B. Ngoc Pham

Happy Thanksgiving! - Practice Gratitude, Always

This year Thanksgiving will be observed on Thursday, November 24, 2022. During this time, millions of Americans take time off work (a 4-day weekend starting Thursday) and spend time with family and friends over a large feast held on Thanksgiving Day. While being grateful for your food, friends, and family, take a little time to remember Sarah Josepha Hale, a woman who helped make this national day of thanks possible.

Sarah Josepha Buell was born on October 24, 1788, on a farm in New port, New Hampshire. She is remem bered as a curious, intelligent, and eager-to-learn woman. Encouraged to follow her dreams by her husband, David Hale, Sarah wrote many short stories and articles. Many of these were published in local newspapers just like ours!

Mr. Hale passed away suddenly in 1822, leaving Sarah with five young children to take care of. To make ends meet, she worked at small retail shops, and she also spent time working as a teacher and writer. Hale published her first book of poems, including one that became the famous nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Her writing success opened many doors for her, becoming the Chief Editor of a local magazine. During her time as editor, Hale wrote hundreds of letters to governors, ministers, newspaper editors, and every U.S. president with one request: to make the last Thursday in November be set aside to “offer to God our tribute of joy and gratitude for the blessings of the year.”

Native American Harvest Festivals had already been taking place for cen turies in North America, with colonists’ services to give thanks, but there had never been a “Thanksgiving” holiday.

In 1864, with the country torn by the Civil War, Hale’s campaign finally got people’s attention and President Abraham Lincoln’s attention, who par ticularly liked Hale’s idea. On October 3, 1863, Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of Novem ber as “National Thanksgiving Day.”

Furthermore, Lincoln ordered all gov ernment offices in Washington to be closed that day to spend the day with loved ones and give thanks.

In 1939, President Roosevelt was pressured by store owners to move Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November to allow more shopping days between the Holiday and Christ mas. Roosevelt agreed, but millions of Americans didn’t follow the orders and continued celebrating Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November. In 1940, Roosevelt realized the decision was a mistake and re-assigned it to the fourth Thursday in November.

In the spirit of gratefulness and giving back, I would like to invite all of our readers to consider volunteering or donating (as much or as little as pos sible) to any local shelters or non-profit organizations that support a cause that speaks to you and that you may be pas sionate about.

For volunteer opportunities in your area, please visit: https://unitedwaysun coast.org/

I wish you all a happy, blessed, and bountiful Thanksgiving day from our family to yours!

Until next time, Carla M. Dubis Tedeschi.

SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT: GOOD NEWS

By Dr. Wayne Adams

Now that fall is in full swing, high school students are caught up in a frenzy of studies and activities.

MOST SENORS are in the throes of college applications and making preparations to take a final reound of SAT/ ACT Exams in December, or after the first of the year.

MANY JUNIORS are won dering about their PSAT Exam results and when they should start preparing for the real SAT and ACT Exams.

MANY SOPHOMORES have started thinking about how they will prepare for the rigors of college applications and exams in their futures.

EVERYONE is thinking about Bright Futures’ Scholar ships – which can mean around $18,000 - $25,000 for tuition and some additional costs at UF, FSU, USF, UCF, and other public universities in Florida.

Plus, this award can be a powerful negotiating tool when talking with private uni versities inside and outside of Florida when my families know how to use it.

Shortly after the last SAT Exam, I received this email from one of my students: “The SAT went well today for me. I followed all of our plans and your mental coaching was especially effective today (I felt like I was in control and I used our vision imagining mind clearing technique). I finished every section with time left and there were very few ques tions I didn’t understand, so I

feel great about this attempt. Thank you for all your help this far, and I look forward to our future work.”

EXAM BLUES

Also, I always receive many calls at this time about what I call the “EXAM BLUES”. The cause is that a strong stu dent, often in IB, multiple AP classes, or dual enrolled; did not score at the level expected on their SAT or ACT Exam ear liler in the fall; or on their PSAT in October.

THE GOOD NEWS

I consistently find that students respond incredibly well and improve when they become both teacher and student as in a college seminar at the junior or senior level where I am their coach. My role is to quickly help them determine where they need to work and to be a resource as they progress. Lecturing is no substitute for determining a student’s baseline level and then structuring their learn ing around their needs. It very satisfying to see their motiva tions soar when their perspec tive changes from “Can I do this?” to “I can do this well.” and then to “Let me show you how well I can do.” They discover that real competition is internal and - when they do their best - external results take care of themselves. Learn ing the strategies often result in comments like, “Cool” and “That makes it a lot easier”. More important, they learn how to “learn for a lifetime”.

that my SAT score just came back and I got a 1430. What a jump. Thanks so much for all your help with the exam, and the many ‘life lessons’ we discussed during classes.

“In one of my high school classes, the teacher asked how we had done on the ACT. My classmates were very surprised when I said ‘32’. Several asked who had helped me, and I gave them your name and phone number.”

“I actually qualified for 100% Bright Futures with the ACT. Biggest surprise, Science jumped from 24 to 32.

“My college essay is far better now. Thank you!”

If You Would Like To Talk More About Your Student … Please contact me at 727-253-0639 or send me an e mail at wwa0811@myko lab.com.

Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally

ACT composite. They have been ad mitted to 9 of the top 10 universities in the country, 18 of the top 25, and many schools in Florida. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), NYU, North eastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Naval - Air Force - Mer chant Marine Service Academies, Penn State, LSU, Auburn, UF, U Miami, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, New College of Florida, Stetson, and Julliard – Manhattan - New England - and Berkley Conser vatories of Music. Many have received academic, athletic, or music scholar ships. He has also had three students who were National Merit Finalists. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and be gan college teaching at the University of Maryland in 1968. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.

first gala was at the West chase Golf Club, and we sold out all 175 seats. It was amazing. We showcased different young musicians, from singers to jazz dancers, drummers to choruses, and it was such an incredible, unique show. People said you’re going to need a big ger venue. Moving forward, we started holding our gala at the Bayanihan Center, a big beautiful, elegant venue.”

At the last Concert Gala in September 2019, Dr. Pham said, “it was such a success and we sold out all 300 seats, and we hope to do it again this year. My guests were anxiously wait ing for my next concert, and I am excited to WOW them again this year.”

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, she’s excited to return to hosting her Third Annual Charity Concert Gala, benefiting the Crisis Center, held at the Bayani han Arts and Events Center here in Westchase, at 14301 Nine Eagles Drive, Tampa, FL, from 6 – 11 pm, along with an After Party featuring live music from the amazing Red Ruckus Band.

“This is a semi-formal, get-all-dressed-up, fancy, put-your-high-heels-on-andsuit-on event. It’s going to be a sit-down dinner gala and concert, an elegant

special night,” she said. “These days, it’s not that of ten that you get all dressed up and go to a beautiful gala, especially among the community.”

Though Dr. Pham claims not to be musically inclined, she is creative and philan thropic and has an eye for talent in her Westchase community.

The beauty of her story is she transformed a family tragedy into a way of honor ing her young nephews and providing her community with information about de pression and suicide while fundraising for the Crisis Center. “It’s so devastating and heartbreaking as a fam ily to experience that loss. My mission for my concert is to bring awareness to teen age mental health. Some how or another, somebody knows somebody who has been affected by mental health. It’s a really sad, dif ficult topic, but it’s my why for doing these concerts. I want to make people aware of the national 9-8-8 hotline for those in crisis, to spread the message that it is OK to feel sad or anxious, and that there is help and sup port out there. If there is one person or family that is positively affected by my concert, then I have accom plished my goal.”

Dr. Pham’s concert

benefits the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, which answers all the suicide crisis numbers for the entire Hillsborough County with the local 211 and 988 national hotline numbers. This year marks their 50th anniversary of providing support, service, and outreach programs to those in crisis.

They have such an amazing line up of perform ers for the 2022 gala event to include ten-year-old Jacob Pham, of course, along with Ovations Dance Academy, The Dance Haus Dance Studio, VYB Dance Studio, Alonso High School

Band and Theatre, among many other singers, con temporary and hip-hop dancers, violinists, pianists, and other performers of all ages. “I tell people it’s like America’s Got Talent right here in Tampa,” she said.

The event is familyfriendly, with the recom mended age as middle school and above. Her goal is to raise $20K for the Crisis Center.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to share the stage with other talented local performers. There are so many talented people in our community that we don’t

always get to see. It makes me happy to give them this spotlight and allow them to share their talents for such a great cause. “

Tickets are available at CharityMusicConcert.sim pletix.com. Tickets are $30 for ages ten and under, $45 for 11-17, and $80 for adults. Tickets need to

be purchased in advance online. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

If you would like to become a business sponsor, please send an email to : DrPhamMD@yahoo.com

If you would like to make a donation to the cause, please visit: https:// square.link/u/3yiHm38q

Tech Talk with Bob: Keep Your Accounts More Secure

By Bob Dalles & Nicole Dalles

Hello Friend! Last month, in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I shared that my cybersecurity team and I had produced an informational guide to help you identify and keep yourself safer from scammers. I’m very proud of all of you who called to receive one of these guides, taking your cybersecurity in your own hands. If you haven’t yet called to receive your FREE guide, they’re still available, just call us at 727-534-4000 and we’ll send one your way without any cost or obligation to you.

Within the guide we discuss how to keep yourself safe from scammers. One way to do that is enabling twofactor (2FA) or multi-factor authentica tion (MFA) on your online accounts. I’ve had many calls of people asking for more information on how to know if they have 2FA or MFA enabled on their accounts. With the holiday season approaching and people using their email, banking, and social media accounts more than usual, now is the time to be sure that you have them safe and secure.

Firstly, I recommend that when you set up any new online accounts that you create a new, unique password for each account. If the website, you cre ated the account with is the victim of a cyberattack those cybercriminals will now have the email address and pass word you used to create the account. With this information the cybercrimi

nals have access to not only the ac count they have the stolen information for, but any of your other accounts that use the same email address and password are also in jeopardy.

I’ve had people who created an account for a website they used once, forgot, but used the same credentials as their Facebook account and conse quently lost access to the Facebook account. Others have lost their email accounts and even their banking and other financial accounts.

To keep these accounts safe from cybercriminals you should enable MFA. Multi-factor authentication is an electronic authentication method that requires a user to present two or more pieces of evidence to gain access to an account. This authentication re quires you to sign into your account like usual; it’ll then ask to send you a code via text, email, or voice call. Once the code is successfully entered, you’ll have access to your account.

How to tell if it’s enabled? Do you have to enter a code when you login?

If not, you’ll want to check your set tings. Once in your account, you’ll want to find the settings or security heading. Underneath that you’ll want to scroll until you find the MFA. If it isn’t enabled, you’ll want to do that. It’ll ask you to provide an email ad dress, landline, or mobile phone num ber. After selecting your method, a code will be sent for you to enter and you’re all set.

With the holiday season near I know that you’ll be connecting to friends and family through social me dia or using your email to track pack ages and make travel reservations. By enabling and using multi-factor authentication it will help to keep your holiday communications smoother by being more secure. If you need any help checking or enabling multi-factor authentication on your accounts, my team and I are just a phone call away.

Are you certain your computer and accounts are safe? You don’t have to do this alone my friend. My team and I are here to keep your computer safer and keep it running. My team repairs computers and secures them, on our bench, on-site in your home or office, and even remotely. Call us anytime at 727-534-4000. We’ve been helping folks restore their peace of mind, and sanity, with their technology for decades.

We Keep You Safer In Your Digital World!