This report is a first person narration of the entire process of a qualitative study exploring the impact of ESL students' native cultural and rhetorical conventions, as well as classroom cultures on their academic English writing in American universities. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. A coding system was constructed to analyze transcriptions of the interviews. The study found that there were impacts of L1 culture on the students' academic English writing, but their effects were minor. The main factors associated with ESL students' English writing were their familiarity with the disciplinary contents and general composing skills. Implications for culturally responsive tertiary education and ESL writing instructions are discussed.