In the United States, Asian American students in higher education fields are regarded as members of a "model minority" group for their perceived high levels of educational attainment and household income. Even though many scholars have developed a growing interest in understanding and identifying the ever-changing and evolving racialized experiences of the Asian American population on college campuses, there is limited understanding of the experiential knowledge derived from the Asian Indian American community. This dissertation includes a collection of stories that shed light on the Asian Indian American experience and student success as defined by academic achievement, engagement in educationally purposeful activities, acquisition of desired knowledge or skills, and competencies and persistence or educational attainment in college or university campuses within the United States. This study examined the Asian Indian American student experience in relation to how students negotiate, challenge, or even manage distress resulting from racialized encounters and externally imposed stereotypes by the academic system. This study is significant because educational research, policy, and practice are shaped by the racialization processes within institutional factors that devalue and stigmatize many students of color. The research conducted has far wider and larger implications in the sense that this study serves as a reminder that it is not acceptable to normalize the success of Asian Indian American students in postsecondary education without a robust and concrete understanding of the stereotypes and the challenges that Asian Indian American students endure and encounter within the education system. Most participants who took part in the study self-identified as second generation Asian Indian American and seemed to embrace values coinciding with both Asian Indian and American traditions. The findings from this study suggested that young Asian Indian American students feel the need to adhere to or live up to the expectations of being "Model Citizens". Findings suggest that this particular subset of the Asian Indian population attempts to build community by sharing and inviting or being open to differences in various perspectives, creating a safe space, and fostering relationships with other ethnic groups that value diversity and inclusion on the college campus. [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.]