Rashida Agaeva, originally from Russia has called Cape Breton home since 2013. Within the first few months of living in Cape Breton, Rashida and her husband, Kim had travelled across most of Cape Breton, and knew it was exactly the place they wanted to live. Being an enthusiast for winter and summer activities, Rashida spends her winters at Ski Ben Eion and her summers exploring Cape Breton beaches and enjoying the local seafood.

My name is Joseph Chatindo, I was born and raised in Zimbabwe in the nation's capital city Harare. I spent my childhood and most of my adulthood in Zimbabwe. I immigrated to Canada in 2016. I’m mostly fascinated by technology and it’s innovation to change lives for the better. I enjoy hiking and being outdoors in my free time, and I enjoy good action movies. Since coming to Cape Breton, I’ve hiked most of the trails, and love being surrounded by nature and the Cape Breton traditions which happen year round for example kitchen parties, Celtic festivals etc.

Jovelyn Del Rosario is originally from the Philippines and came to Cape Breton in 2017. She has worked in the hospitality industry in the Philippines, Singapore, and Canada for more than 10 years.

Jovelyn holds a Bachelor Degree of Science, Hotel and Restaurant Management and a Diploma in Financial Management. Currently, Jovelyn manages a small, family business called Jovy’s Place in Sydney.

Eseosa Louisa Esangbedo known by all her friends as Louisa is a big city girl living and enjoying the small city life. Five years ago at only 17 years of age, she made a big decision to move to Cape Breton Island from her hometown in Lagos, Nigeria. She is a strong education professional with a Bachelor's degree focused in Public Health from Cape Breton University and is a graduate of the class of 2017. During her time at Cape Breton University she was actively involved in school life by coordinating the international students centre, organizing multicultural activities, promoting students’ life and being involved with the intra-mural activities on campus. She excelled both academically and socially and this contributed to her being voted the Class Valedictorian. She currently works at Samson McPhee Law Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia as a Legal Assistant and also spends some time volunteering at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital ER department. Louisa is currently one of the Fellows at Venture for Canada which is a Non-for-profit Organization that trains graduates and fosters entrepreneurship in Canada. She also just became a member of the Cape Breton Immigrant Advisory Table with the Local Immigration Partnership and she is excited to give back to the Island in whatever way she can. In the future Louisa has dreams to work in the health sector specifically global health and health promotion. When Louisa is not busy working or watching Netflix, she spends some of her time with the kids from her church youth group where she is one of the youth leaders and also with friends and loved ones.

Meet Pankaj (Punky) Joshi, a dedicated professional and volunteer, who came to Canada from India in 1997. Punky has lived and worked in Cape Breton for the last 16 years and is not only a proud Canadian citizen, but also a proud Cape Bretoner.

Punky is known to CBRM area students through her work at the NSCC Marconi Campus Bookstore, to local parents as the mother of two teenagers, and has had a tremendous impact on our community through her time volunteering with YREACH. She has had a voice in both program design and delivery of YREACH services and is a trusted colleague and friend of their clients and staff.

Punky is also a valued member of the Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership's (CBLIP) Immigrant Advisory Table (IAT). She understands firsthand the obstacles newcomers sometimes face, sees how far our island has come in welcoming newcomers, and recognizes there is still work to be done. She is passionate about helping support the integration of newcomers and feels that being a member of the IAT is an important way to give back to her community.

Pankaj Joshi - mother, colleague, friend, and dedicated community volunteer is a proud Cape Bretoner, who says her favourite thing about living here is, "the natural beauty of the island."

Saba is originally from Pakistan and moved to Canada almost 15 years ago. She and her husband have called Sydney, Cape Breton home for 14 years, raised 3 boys and built their own house. Once her children were off to school, Saba went back to school at NSCC (Marconi campus) for a higher diploma in Graphic Design. She is now working as a freelance Graphic Designer, with a studio in New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation.

Hisham Sleem is the founder and President of Association for New Canadian and Refugees in Nova Scotia (ANCRNS) a non-profit incorporated organization to help with the settlement and integration services for immigrants and refugees in the Cape Breton Island. It provides settlement assistance as well as social activity programs, languages and other services to support all aspects of new immigrants and refugees.

In 2013, he received his PhD in Chemistry at Memorial University. Dr. Sleem has over 20 years of research experiences in Canada and internationally including Memorial University and Cape Breton University. Dr. Sleem has volunteered in many different places which support immigrants and new comers such as life line Syria, CBRM and now he sits on the IAT for the Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership.

Olena Stutzinger, originally from the Ukraine is proud to now call Roberta, in Richmond County her home. Olena is married and has one son who is 27, she also has two cats Smokey and Tison. Before moving to Cape Breton, Olena and her husband worked in Germany and Egypt, where they operated a Diving School and had the opportunity to teach people how to dive in the Red Sea. For over two years Olena and her husband have been permanent residents of Canada. Olena is passionate about welcoming newcomers to the community and thinks that Cape Breton is great place to live, work and play.

Yomaris is originally from China and settled in Cape Breton in 2013. She is an easygoing person, warm-hearted and rich in curiosity. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Cape Breton University and is currently working at the Department of Justice. She loves Cape Breton and says it's a small place with a big heart.