Across the country, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students appear to be academically successful, completing high school at 95.9 percent (NCES, 2011). However, upon disaggregation of data, AAPI's ethnic subgroups such as Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (SEAPI) students in Oakland, CA are dropping out at an alarming rate of 50 percent (CARE, 2008; Teranishi, 2007; 2010; 2015). The discrepancies in educational attainment between the Asian ethnic subgroups are complex. The model minority myth, a stereotype that flamboyantly showcases how successful AAPIs are, conceal the needs of SEAPI students who are typically low-income, first in their family to graduate high school, and even less likely to attend college (Fisher Lee et al., 2017). This study has two purposes. First, this study aims to address the void in knowledge and literature concerning SEAPI students. Second, this study will examine the ways in which SEAPI students make sense of their college going process and its potential impact on their high school to college transition. I will be asking the following questions: first, what are the experiences of low-income, first-generation SEAPI students as they move through their college going process? Second, how does institutional support shape and inform low-income, first-generation SEAPI students' college going process? Third, what is the family's role in influencing their students' college aspirations, college going process, and college choices? This study will provide a deeper understanding of SEAPI students' college going experiences through narrative inquiry via semi-structured interviews, which highlights the depth of their experiences and circumstances. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]