Ex-offenders are a vulnerable population in society who are at constant risk of reoffending. The initial purpose for the research was to examine if there is a difference in recidivism between ex-offenders who attend high school after release and those who do not, as well as whether there is a difference in ex-offenders' psychological and economic well-being between those who attend high school after release and those who do not. To accomplish this, I planned to conduct a mixed-method approach. However, research can be a very unpredictable process, and as the study progressed, the purpose and research questions shifted in response to the participants' narratives. As a result, the new purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore the barriers of obtaining a high school diploma for ex-offenders. I conducted the study in Philadelphia, located in Eastern Pennsylvania. Participants had to be at least 18 years old, live in Philadelphia, and be an ex-offender without a high school certificate or GED. I semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaires to construct a narrative profile for each participant. The narratives were analyzed using descriptive coding to identify units of analysis and their frequency, resulting in the emergence of informative codes and the development of barriers by grouping descriptive codes into common categories. Barriers included parental responsibility, employment responsibility, financial awareness, obtaining a high school diploma compared to a GED, and confidentiality. Future researchers can use the findings to identify helpful resources for ex-offenders who are interested in enrolling in high school completion programs, which will provide them with better opportunities in life. [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.]