This research addressed educational persistence among first-generation, lowincome college students. The educational paths of 22 first-generation, low-income undergraduate students attending a large, urban university in the Northwest region of the United States were examined through a narrative framework. Half of the participants had persisted from year one to year two, and the other half left the university after their first year. Analytic procedures consisted of thematic qualitative coding, an analysis of student trajectories over educational histories, and the reconstruction of narrative stories. Data were used to examine: 1) How firstgeneration, low-income students understood and described their journey through their first year, 2) Reasons some students gave for leaving the university, 3) Meanings students gave to their experiences in college and how those meanings influenced future decisions, and 4) Differences between the stories of students who persisted versus those who left.The first-generation, low-income students who participated in this study were individually diverse and took various paths through college. After prolonged contact, evidence of interrupted enrollment and transfer among colleges was shown for approximately half of the participants. The descriptive codes most frequently discussed were financial issues, aspects of self, and family. Students described motivations for college in terms of themes related to family, gaining practical skills,