Educational services for Native Americans within the United States have traditionally been used to assimilate Native Americans into what would be recognized today as the mainstream White Christian culture. The problem is that Native American scholars have a lower academic achievement rate and graduation rate than other scholars. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological is to explore the perspectives and experiences of Native Americans who achieve academic success within the dominant educational system. A gap in the literature exists regarding the impacting factors and systems of support for Native American scholars' academic success. Theoretical frameworks that will guide this study are strength-based approach and positive psychotherapy (PPT) theories. The research question focused on what societal, emotional, and environmental factors predict Native American scholars becoming academically successful in their educational environments. Native Americans will be recruited that achieved academic success by obtaining any form of educational degree. One of the primary methods for data collection and analysis in the study is story analysis. Responses will be analyzed to identify themes, frequencies, and anomalies in responses from the sample. Key findings revealed that Native American academic success was impacted by self-image and representation of academic success on their campuses. The implications of the research support the need for educational leaders to create a system for affirmation of Native American culture. Critical results show that relationship building with the goal of positive self-image is key to an increase in Native American academic success. [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.]