The purpose of this longitudinal study was to follow three teachers from their university teacher preparation programs into their first 3 consecutive years of teaching to better understand their teacher's professional identities. One of the reasons they were invited to this study was because they were strong candidates in their student teaching. The findings reveal that all teachers continued in the profession despite the obstacles they faced during their first 3 years of teaching. While they were all persistent, each persevered in a different way, depending on their beliefs, context, and relationships with their peers and administrators. Understanding their experiences and the ways they found success has implications for teacher education and induction as well as research on teacher development.