Tabashshum Jahan (TJ) Islam is a PhD candidate in the social welfare program at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Their research interests include intercultural communication and trauma-informed approaches to empower and honor immigrant and diasporic communities through narrative, teaching, and qualitative research. They are currently doing mixed-methods research and arts-based inquiry to explore artists’ experiences in receiving a guaranteed income through Creatives Rebuild New York.