The experiences and challenges that African American science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals face and overcome as they persist in their careers are rarely examined. In this exploratory qualitative inquiry, the experiences of ten African American STEM PhD mentors were examined. A situated identity framework was used to construct interview protocol questions and examine the data. A thematic analysis of the interview data was performed. It was found that mentors' experiences as undergraduates, graduates, and professionals significantly impacted their educational and professional careers and their abilities to persist in STEM. Implications for practice are offered to help educators, mentors, and administrators understand and identify ways to enhance the experiences of minoritized populations at various academic levels.