Although students from Africa are among the least represented groups among international students in U.S. higher education, the number of enrollments in U.S. schools has significantly increased (Institute of International Education, 2020). The steady rise in African international students suggests a compelling need to qualitatively examine these students' experiences, particularly their social and emotional health and reliance on social media for additional support. This dissertation examined the impact of social media use and maintenance of the social and emotional competence of 17 first-generation African international students in American higher educational institutions. This dissertation found that African international students use social media for diverse purposes, sometimes different from the original purpose for which the developers initially designed the platform. Also, this dissertation found that in addition to the social and emotional competence that African international students use to navigate their new home and school environments, religion was a significant coping mechanism that propelled purpose and excellence. [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.]