A solution to the problem of preparing non-college ready students has been to offer developmental/remedial courses in community colleges. Studies have shown that students who begin and persist in these courses do just as well, if not better, than non-developmental education students. The majority of studies, however, have not examined the experiences of these persistent students of color. Therefore, this study examined the factors that African American and Latino/a students perceived as helping them to persist in developmental and college-level writing courses. In addition to the course and institutional services elements of developmental education, this study expanded to include student characteristics and interpersonal factors. This mixed methods study, consisting of surveys and interviews, was primarily qualitative, adding to what have been largely quantitative findings. Grounded theory was employed to examine the qualitative data. This study found that students' personal characteristics (academic and professional goals, desire to improve academically and financially, and hard work and determination) are what helped students most to persist in writing courses at Los Angeles Southwest College located in Southern California. Second, English professors taught students to do independent work, think critically, and improve their writing. Third, family encouraged students to attend and remain enrolled in college. Fourth, institutional factors were not cited to be helpful. Lastly, analysis of variance tests revealed that students differed in their perceptions of the importance that God and spirituality had in their persistence. Faculty, staff, administrators, high school/community college districts, and policy makers can utilize the findings to replicate what works and to implement best practices in developmental writing programs that will help fortify the higher education pipeline for African American and Latino/a community college students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]