This dissertation investigates the role of ethnic-racial identity in the college choice and first-year experience of Black and Latinx students attending a highly selective, large, public R1 in the Midwest. My research questions are guided by Camille Wilson's (formerly Cooper) Positioned School Choice (2007) and Critical Race Theory through Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework, focusing on ethnic and racial assets of Black and Latinx students' college choice. The research questions are: 1) What cultural/racial aspects of their lives do Black and Latinx students draw on to choose the University of Michigan? 2) What experiences do these students draw on from their home environments, such as family and community? 3) What role does their school context play, and 4) How are other factors present? In contrast to traditional deficit literature, this dissertation study seeks to understand better how and why the limited number of high-achieving Black and Latinx students who attend highly selective institutions do so and how their ethnic-racial identity shows up in the process. I intentionally seek to utilize critical perspectives and frameworks in conducting my research to disrupt the notion of eurocentric, traditional, and foundational theories and methods, which are the norm in research. Through written reflections and semi-structured interviews, I co-construct the narrative of the Black and Latinx student collaborators in this study. To center the experiences of Black and Latinx students and reframe their racial and ethnic identities as assets, I use the critical race methodology of narrative inquiry. The findings speak to the vital role played by parents and families (including for first-generation, low-income students) in college motivations and expectations; the impact of the high school context, including schools' resources and actors; the value of pre-collegiate and pre-orientation programs; and the significance of students' sense of responsibility to give back to their families and communities. [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.]