CBICI Community Highlight – Shubhi Agrawal

Shubhi is an international student attending Cape Breton University, in the Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Business Management program. She is from Gurgaon, a city near New Delhi, India, and was a business owner before arriving in Canada – she had three businesses back home. One day she realized that she wanted to move to a new place, and during her research to decide where she wanted to move, she saw the beautiful landscapes, water, and greenery of Cape Breton Island, and said “this is where I want to go.”

Shubhi is very involved in the local community. CBICI recently opened up our centre to free event space rentals for newcomers and international students, and Shubhi has taken the lead in organizing two events through this CBICI program. She is also working as a Business Development Manager for the summer with an organization called Covered by Hope, which is a part of the Hope Project.

The Hope Project is a charitable organization that helps women who are dealing with addiction or trauma in their recovery journey. The Hope Project, on their property in Point Edward, provide opportunities for women to build their confidence and feel empowered, providing independence when leaving the program. There are opportunities to connect with the land, through gardening and tending to the animals on the property, such as goats and hens., among other programs available to participants.

Covered by Hope is a social enterprise that produces high-quality, handcrafted products, such as soaps, lip balms, and candles. All the proceeds from the sale of these products benefit Hope House and the services that are provided for women in the program. “Hope House is for the community, because in the end the women who come and enter recovery are a part of the community,” Shubhi notes; “it gives me immense joy how the entire concept of Hope House is knitted together, that women are standing for other women. You see that power when you are working there, that we are there to empower each other.”

Purchasing Covered by Hope’s products is an excellent way to support Hope House’s programs and work, and you can also donate directly on their website or provide in-kind donations by contacting them directly.

Shubhi is supporting Covered by Hope’s business operations this summer, but you will also see her on the trails; one of her favourite parts of living here is being able to enjoy the many hiking trails around the island. She also appreciates the people of the island, who she says are wonderful and warm. “When I landed here for the first time in September 2021, I was so happy to see that anyone passing by would say hi how are you, how’s your day going,” she notes; “this shows you how warm the culture of Cape Breton is. It is calm, quiet, a small city but beautiful, I love every bit of Cape Breton, and don’t want to leave.”