The fact that American Indian (AI) college students pursuing postsecondary educational opportunities have lower retention and completion rates than their peers is well documented. Additionally, the use of mentoring as a means of social support for AI students has been increasingly recognized as an important factor in a successful educational experience. The purpose of this transformative mixed methods study was twofold; to identify themes related to tribal college students' perceptions of successes and barriers that shaped their educational experiences through the use of photovoice and photo-elicitation, and to establish a relationship between students' participation in a mentoring program and increased perceived self-efficacy. The participants included 19 students enrolled at a small Midwest Tribal College. Participants were asked to take pictures and construct a written narrative as a means to identifying successes and barriers to their educational experience. Additionally, participants completed a retrospective pre- and-post-mentoring program survey to determine the relationship between mentoring and their self-efficacy. Four themes related to student successes were identified. (1) An engaging and supportive campus environment that encouraged the expression of traditional ways and Indigenous worldviews, combined with access to resources, was critically important to fostering tribal college students' feelings of being supported. (2) There was a strong motivation to pursue a college education as a result of family members' encouragement and support, as well as a clear desire to set a good example for their children so the children understood the importance and value of pursuing an education. (3) Order and structure in daily schedules and activities provided motivation and feelings of success for AI students. (4) Celebrating and recognizing progress and prior academic success contributed to heightened confidence and a desire to persist to degree completion among AI students.Four themes related to barriers were identified. (1) The challenges students had with time management and organizational skills which are necessary requirements for juggling the demands of school, work, and family; (2) The temptations and distractions that students were faced with daily and the general lack of motivation and procrastination students experienced when they were forced to make decisions around schoolwork and attending class; (3) The plethora of life circumstances that occurred regularly, which prevented students from focusing on school-related tasks and requirements; and (4) The institutional and instructional barriers that students perceived as having a negative impact on their motivation and engagement to be successful. Results of the study also showed that participants' self-efficacy increased within four of the five mentoring goals as result of participation in a semester-long mentoring program. The overall findings of this study align with the importance of providing mentoring support to AI students; more importantly, however, the findings highlight the value in having students participate in participatory research to enable self-empowerment and develop an increased knowledge and understanding regarding how to overcome barriers that impact educational experiences and to celebrate individual student success. Further research may expand this study through the use of participatory action research and identifying a mentoring model more suitable for AI students and one that identifies specific strategies as a means to facilitate and develop critical thinking and reflection in AI students. This investigation provides insights into strategies and best practices for educational leaders when working with AI students in postsecondary settings. [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.]