This qualitative study examined the student leadership experiences of seven Latina community college students and how they made sense of how those experiences impacted their academic success. It used the psychosociocultural framework (J. Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000) as its theoretical lens. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for data collection and analysis. Analysis of the themes resulted in four findings: (a) student leadership engagement expanded the view of the college experience; (b) student leadership participation facilitated growth; (c) attaining balance between their collegiate and personal lives was significant for the students to be successful academically and as student leaders; and 9d) constructing a leadership identity was not universal. This information can be utilized by institutions and practitioners to evaluate their student leadership programs, to engage current or prospective Latina student leaders, and to consider ways to integrate leadership development into their institutions. [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.]