Yearning to Breathe FreeIn 1919, the Polish-Jewish refugee Adina flees her home country and boards a steamship to America, seeking solace beneath the promise of Lady Liberty’s torch. Yet two timelines collide aboard this single vessel when she meets Mariella, a Guatemalan asylum seeker escaping the political brutality of 2026. Separated by decades but bound by the same dream, they share their tumultuous past, envision an American beginning, and chart their journeys: yearning to breathe free. Yearning To Breathe was inspired in part by research at the Mexican-American border, conversations and workshops with asylum seekers and immigrants of various backgrounds, and my own great-grandparents lived experiences of refugeeism.Laur, MayacreatorBiggs, Lisathesis advisorLi, JinyingreaderBrown University. Modern Culture and Mediasponsor2024text_resourcesborn digitalEnglishSenior thesis (AB)--Brown University, 2024Modern Culture and MediathesesRefugeesLatin AmericaEmigration and immigrationTheaterActivismasylum seekersGuatemalan Civil War (Guatemala : 1960-1996)Emigration and immigration in literatureEmigration and immigration--Government policyEastern EuropePogromsJewish ImmigrationIntercultural communicationMagic realism (Literature)Performance StudiesBilingualismAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)In Copyright10.26300/kavc-5j79