Aquí Nací, Aquí me MueroHamilton, Mercedes Puerto RicoCreative nonfictionNew York CityMigrationEnglishB AThis thesis reconstructs the life of my great grandmother Candelaria Abreu‑Grajales, who passed on July 7, 2025, through oral history and creative nonfiction. Born in 1940 in Isabela, Puerto Rico, her childhood was marked by loss, labor, and migration, experiences that reflected the broader economic struggles of the island in the wake of the Great Depression. At fifteen, she joined her father in the Bronx, beginning a life of domestic and factory work that would later expand into activism, motherhood, and labor in Brooklyn. I have focused on the gendered dimensions of Puerto Rican migration, showing how women’s labor sustained families and communities in the face of poverty, displacement, and systemic neglect. By weaving family testimony with historical research, I situate Wela’s experiences within the larger narratives of Puerto Rican migration, labor and life in 20th century New York City, and the rise of community movements such as the Young Lords. It also explores her return to Puerto Rico in later life, where faith and resilience remained central to her identity. Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Thesis SupervisorMatt Tierney, Thesis Honors Advisoropen_access2026-04-08T02:46:20Zhttps://honors.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/10322mjh7337