This qualitative study describes the experiences of high achieving, low and moderate-income African American students who have matriculated in a selective university. In order to address my research questions, I asked open-ended, semi-structured interview questions regarding students' past academic behaviors; academic achievement; and their perceptions of how peers, schools, and family functioned as either barriers or support systems. This qualitative inquiry used analytic procedures suggested by a grounded theory approach. Findings to date indicate that academic competition among peers and challenging coursework can be a protective factor for high achievers and can help improve grades, and involvement in sports activities can be both a protective factor and a risk for academic failure.