The Epale Family Memorial Award was created in 2022 by Mr. Dina Epale in honour and memory of his parents; Simon J. Epale, Ph.D. and Mrs. Tessa E. Epale; and brother, Mr. Priso Epale – who all shared a passion for education and played integral roles in motivating others to pursue their dreams.

The Epale Family Memorial Award was also established as a proud tribute to their African and Caribbean heritage. As the award came to life, Dina decided that he wanted to give offer family and friends the opportunity to support his goal. He asked more than 100 people to help him fulfill this goal give and in just under three six months raised more than $8,00 to support students at CBU over the next 5+ years.

The inaugural award was presented on October 27,  2022, to not one, but two international students from Africa who were involved in student life outside of academics alone. Peter Oyedijo and Dorothy Kuvuna Yaa were each awarded $500 to be used at their discretion to offset costs as students at CBU. They were both active in international student life in ways that advanced the success of the international student experience in Cape Breton.

It all started 25 years ago, when someone else’s generosity sparked a two-and-a-half-decade desire to give back. Today, Dina’s generosity is changing the lives of many more students than he had hoped, like Peter and Dorothy,  and sets in motion the success of students’ future, just by deciding it was his time to Pay it Forward.