Students from higher-income households have more advantages related to access to a quality education and educational opportunities. These advantages give students from higher-income households many opportunities to achieve academic and career success. Low-income African-American students, on the other hand, encounter many challenges as they aspire to achieve academic and career success, which limits their opportunities. This convergent mixed methods, interview-based, participatory action research study described factors that contribute to the academic and career success of six low-income African-American college students who were participants in the TRIO program at a community college in central Illinois. Findings of the study revealed five common themes that assisted these students in defying the odds and achieving academic and career success: (1) Family support was a determining factor for each student's academic and career success; (2) Non-family mentors served as positive role models throughout students' school years; (3) Involvement in extra-curricular activities, sports, and leadership helped students build character and develop skills; (4) Upward Bound (UB) and TRIO staff provided positive influence toward academic and career success; and (5) Personal determination empowered these students to persevere, be resilient in the face of adversity, and defy the odds.