Meet the 2025 Recipients of Hillsborough County’s Anti-Bullying Award
Each October, in honor of Bullying Awareness Month, Hillsborough County’s Anti-Bullying Awareness Committee recognizes a student or students who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in our community.
This year, it wasn’t just one person who stood out, but a local high school student and a group of middle schoolers taking a stand against bullying and encouraging others to join them in the fight.
Meet the winners of the 2025 Hillsborough County Anti-Bullying Award:
Angelina Sack, 10th grade, Tampa Preparatory School
Angelina was nominated by her mother after learning about the award through her Girl Scouts Council Leader. Sink has been actively involved in Girl Scouts since first grade, driven by the Girl Scout promise to “make the world a better place.” Through numerous “take action” projects, she has identified various needs within her community.
After witnessing firsthand how cyberbullying on social media affected her peers, she and a few of her friends created the E.N.D. (Encourage Not Discourage) Club at their school. They made anti-bullying keychains during the meetings to help spread awareness and passed out the keychains to classmates after they signed an anti-bullying petition.
Biggest bullying challenges: “AI technology. People can create anonymous accounts, allowing them to bully without getting caught.”
How others can join the fight against bullying: “Just be kind. Lift others up, and if you notice people bullying others, tell them to stop. If those same people keep bullying, tell a trusted adult or report them on the websites they use to bully others.”
Alfredo Castenada Martell, eighth grade, and Le-Andra Griffin, seventh grade, both at Webb Middle School
Castenada Martell and Griffin were nominated by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy Dana Faucett, who was assigned to the Town ’N’ Country Boys and Girls Club. They participated in the Think Big Program, where they were tasked with creating a hypothetical app and then presenting it to a group of peers.
The kids went above and beyond and came up with an anti-bullying app (not real, just a product of imagination) to help connect children to peers who have been victims of bullying. This app would provide an anonymous way to report bullying issues. They also implemented a tool within the app to provide ‘bullies' with resources to help self-correct their negative actions.
Alfredo Castenada Martell: “I believe that people deserve a chance to talk to someone, and I also believe that the bullies should have a chance to explain. The problem people face is the judgment of other people, and they often hide their interests from people or who they really are. They should be able to express themselves, and to help with this, I think people should learn to talk.”
The teens will be recognized during the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting on October 1, where they will also be presented with a monetary award sponsored by Eliah Ewing, a Private Wealth Advisor and Founding Partner with Windward Wealth Management.
Originally published in the October 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.
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