Evan and Matthew, my junior research assistants who offered writing breaks at almost always the exact right moment. And toMarvin and Ann, who gave this first-generation student the kick-in-the-pants he needed to go to college. well prepared in terms of high school GPA and ACT, typically earned a lower v first-year GPA and fewer credits, and were less likely to persist and to graduate compared to continuing-generation students. Those that did graduate, however, did so with a similar GPA to continuing-generation students. The significant predictors of academic achievement at the end of the first year of college were high school GPA and ACT. High school GPA and ACT were also significant predictors of the likelihood of persistence and graduation within six years.Surprisingly, engagement did not emerge as a predictor of the likelihood of persistence or graduation for either first-generation or continuing-generation students nor were there significant differences in engagement between firstgeneration and continuing-generation students. Significant differences in engagement did, however, emerge according to ethnicity and gender with students of color indicating higher levels of engagement than White students and women being more engaged than men. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also considered.vi