2026 Fellowship on Immigrant Integration

Sheila Cruz is a Peruvian immigrant and aspiring political analyst. Her work is deeply informed by her personal journey and is devoted to understanding how international policy and political strategy can effectively support the integration of immigrant populations.

Cruz’s foundational expertise was developed at the prestigious National University Mayor of San Marcos (UNMSM) in Lima, Peru, where she successfully completed a bachelor’s degree in political science. Demonstrating proactive initiative and academic drive, she secured a competitive semester-long exchange program at the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). This invaluable experience sharply expanded her analytical toolkit, giving her deep exposure to the critical fields of political marketing and international relations.

Since immigrating to the United States, Cruz has pursued further academic opportunities in New York State. She is currently advancing her studies by pursuing a master’s degree in international affairs at the renowned Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy.

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.

Yifan (Evyn) Liu is a second-year Ph.D. student in sociology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She holds a master’s degree in media and communications (governance) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and has three years of professional experience in the international education sector in China.

Her research examines the intersections of transnational migration, higher education, and media sociology. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, she investigates how migration and digital media practices shape individuals’ educational and career trajectories. Her recent work explores the motivations and practices of Chinese international students in the United States who engage in digital content creation on social media platforms. She is also leading a survey project on international graduate students’ post-graduation mobility aspirations, focusing on the career and cultural factors that influence their decision-making. As a research assistant, she also contributes to a project on the work experiences of Chinese and Hispanic immigrant workers and small business owners in upstate New York.

Yuri Lyashenko is a Ukrainian-born public service professional and policy researcher whose career spans media leadership, civic inclusion, and immigrant integration. Now based in New York City, he is pursuing a master of public administration at Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public & International Affairs and holds a Ph.D. in political science from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Before moving to the United States in 2023, Lyashenko directed Kyiv’s public television network, transforming it into a top-five national news outlet and leading its wartime operations during Russia’s invasion. He also managed the city’s COVID-19 Remote Learning Initiative, which provided online education for 290,000 students. A 2024 Washington Semester Fellow at the National Democratic Institute, he researched participatory democracy and inclusion in fragile political contexts. His lived immigrant experience now fuels his work on policies that promote belonging, opportunity, and civic participation for newcomers. Lyashenko is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian, with proficiency in Polish and Hungarian.

Zobaida Maria is in her second year on the clinical track at the Silberman School of Social Work. At the NYU School of Social Work, she supported research on HIV care and substance use, where she observed just how critical policy is to ensure equitable access to care. She also worked with the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) on a study examining how to better support young adults with substance-use disorders. In addition, she has co-authored several research articles and conference presentations on substance use, HIV care, and cancer disparities among marginalized communities. Currently, Maria contributes to a clinical study in New York City testing interventions to help people living with HIV quit smoking. As part of her social work degree, she is interning at Sakhi for South Asian Women. There, she provides trauma-informed support to survivors of domestic violence, many of whom are immigrants, using both Bangla and English. She believes that social work’s blend of empathy and practical support is how she can make a lasting impact, further aligning her work with her passion for advocacy.

Shu-Hao Chang is a Ph.D. student in Sociology and a Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies fellow at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. His research examines the intersections of race and ethnicity, labor, and immigration, with a particular focus on international students and Asian immigrants. His ongoing work investigates international student housing and integration in New York City. He is also conducting a project on how racial interactions shape health outcomes among Asian immigrants in the United States. His research employs a mixed-methods approach to address pressing social issues.

Before beginning his doctoral studies at CUNY, Shu-Hao Chang earned a B.A. in anthropology from the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. He was also awarded a Taiwanese government-funded fellowship to study at the University of California-Berkeley, where he spent his junior year as a visiting student in the Sociology Department. Beyond academia, Shu-Hao works with the Environmental Rights Foundation (Taiwan) and the Chinese-American Planning Council (New York), where he supports local communities confronting climate change-related challenges and promotes public education on environmental justice.

Carlene Nelson, a Dean’s Distinguished Fellow, is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration in urban and social policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). An Americas Scholar and Global Fellow in Urban Practice, she previously served as a Policy Intern and Community Liaison with the NYC Office of the Mayor, where she navigated the intersection of policy and community engagement. She holds a bachelor’s degree from NYU Gallatin, with an individualized concentration spanning politics, public policy, and Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Wilson (Wenxuan) Han is a PhD candidate in political science at Rockefeller College. Han’s research specialty is in economic modeling, quantitative causal inference, and data analysis. His research primarily focuses on the political impact of China’s overseas economic engagement. As a research assistant at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, using data from the American Community Survey, he studied the economic impact of immigrants in each region in New York State, including their tax contributions, entrepreneurial spirit, and impact on specific industries.