Zorha is the executive director of student newspaper La Rotonde and co-founder of Face2Face Impact, a non-profit online platform that encourages young people from visible minorities to embrace entrepreneurship.
“I was both surprised and honoured to receive the Community Advocate Award. For me, it’s a big step in my development. It encourages me to double down on my efforts,” says Zorha.
Established just two years ago, in February 2023, Face2Face Impact already has more than 500 subscribers and has hosted a series of conferences, dinners, workshops and information sessions. Face2Face Impact aims to make entrepreneurship more inclusive and equitable by providing young French speakers with resources, opportunities and advice tailored to their individual needs and aspirations.
Zorha and her team helped raise more than $12,000 for projects focusing on mental health, entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment and organized seven community events with more than 800 participants. In September 2024, Zorha also founded Wani Market Inc., a platform that offers food, clothes, accessories, art, wellness products and services specifically of interest to members of African and Caribbean communities and their descendants.
“Our mission is simple: to bring the Afro-Caribbean diaspora closer to the products they love and cherish, while introducing Canadians to the wealth of fine African products,” says Zorha. “Wani Market is the fruit of the entrepreneurial spirit that my parents passed on to me and which has remained hidden for a long time. It’s rewarding to see Face2Face Impact making a difference. My passion for art and leadership has helped me assert myself and open up to the world.”
Zorha was recognized for being a source of inspiration to uOttawa’s Francophone community by demonstrating inclusive leadership and entrepreneurial vision.
“I’m lucky enough to be part of a community of young people who are responsible, resourceful and ready to take the initiative.”
Zorha Konaté
— Fifth-year management student and co-winner of the 2025 Community Advocate Award.
Professor unites communities to address health inequities
Josephine Etowa, PhD, a full professor at uOttawa Faculty of Health Sciences’ School of Nursing, is the co-winner of the 2025 Community Advocate Award. Professor Etowa was recognized as a true community advocate with more than three decades of experience in clinical practice and community development.
Etowa is the founder and lead investigator of the Collaborative Critical Research for Equity and Transformation in Health Lab, a research program that unites community members to address health inequities within African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities. The lab works to ensure that the voices of these groups guide effective solutions.
A cornerstone of her advocacy is the Peer Equity Navigator (PEN) program. Often called Professor Etowa’s “foot soldiers,” PENs empower hard-to-reach ACB populations to navigate health-care systems, overcome disparities and build trust. As the Canada Research Chair in Advancing Black Women’s Health in Canada, Etowa has established a leading platform for collaborative efforts in research, capacity-building and policy development. Her over 300 scholarly publications and more than $50 million in research funding testify to her groundbreaking contributions.
The gala is presented annually by the uOttawa Black Student-Athletes Advocacy Council, in partnership with the University’s vice-provost for equity, diversity and inclusive excellence. This event recognizes outstanding achievements within uOttawa Black communities through the Community Advocate, Entrepreneurship and Artist Recognition awards.
The Entrepreneurship Award was granted to Grace Busanga, a communications specialist at uOttawa who founded a French marketing agency that ByBlacks.com named best Black Canadian marketing company in 2019.
Ottawa-based multidisciplinary artist Allan André, a uOttawa fine arts alumnus and co-founder of the Ottawa Black Art Kollective, won the Artist Recognition Award. Allan has won many Art Battle Canada competitions and invests his time mentoring young creators via the Youth Ottawa Artistic Mentorship Program.