This book documents a year in the life of five adolescents preparing for college. The text examines the different pathways that brought these students to where they are: living in poverty, attending overcrowded schools, and the pressure to be the first in their families to attend college are just a few of the challenges these students must battle en route to college and that impact their chances of success once there. Their stories provide clues to practitioners and policy makers about how to improve college access at urban high schools. This book is divided into the following chapters: (1) Introduction: Si, Se Puede (William G. Tierney); (2) Urban Students, Social Ecologies--Part I (Paz M. Oliverez); (3) Mushutu and Juan: A Tale of Two Students (William G. Tierney); (4) Big Ideas, Small Details: Jenny Acevedo (Julia E. Colyar); (5) Urban Students, Social Ecologies--Part II (Paz M. Oliverez); (6) The Paper Trail of Lily Salazar (Zoe Blumberg Corwin); (7) Dreams, Disappointment and Drive: Trinity Borrego's Path to College (Kristan M. Venegas); (8) Conclusion: Cultural Biographies and Policy-Making (William G. Tierney); and (9) Afterword: The Syntax of Cultural Biography (Julia E. Colyar).