https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649219884339 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2020, Vol. 6(2) 195–208 © American Sociological Association 2019 DOI: 10.1177/2332649219884339 sre.sagepub.com Race, Ethnicity, and Educational Processes While recruitment efforts have increased at many colleges and universities, Black and Latino males’ retention and graduation rates continue to be areas in need of improvement. 1 Researchers have noted that Black and Latino males face a number of unique challenges in their educational careers that often impact their presence and inhibit their colle- giate success (Cuyjet 2006; Fry 2002; Sáenz, Ponjuán, and Figueroa 2016). In particular, Black and Latino males often face challenges in access- ing higher education, lack social and cultural capi- tal, and are often stereotyped on campus (Brooms 2017; Cuyjet 2006; Sáenz et al. 2016). In this arti- cle, I examine how a diverse group of Black and Latino males from a variety of backgrounds (e.g., African American, Hispanic, Latino, and Mexican) narrate and make meanings from their college experiences. All too often, dominant narratives continue to reduce the educational plight of Black and Latino males to their supposed deficiencies—academically, personally, and culturally. These narratives also 884339SRE XX X 10.1177/2332649219884339Sociology of Race and EthnicityBrooms research-article 2019 1 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA Corresponding Author: Derrick R. Brooms, Associate Professor, Sociology and Africana Studies, Department of Sociology, A&S, University of Cincinnati, 1008 Crosley Tower, Cincinnati OH 45221, USA. Email: derrick.brooms@uc.edu “It’s the Person, but Then the Environment, Too”: Black and Latino Males’ Narratives about Their College Successes Derrick R. Brooms 1 Abstract This study relies on in-depth interviews with 30 Black and Latino males to explore how they narrate and make meaning from their college experiences at a Hispanic Serving Institution. A good deal of public and educational discourse often supposes these students’ lack of care and concern about their educational outcomes without understanding a larger context for their experiences. In this study, I explore these Black and Latino male students’ transitions to college and their success narratives. First, investigating their transition experiences allows for an opportunity to understand the strategies they deployed upon entering college and how these early experiences matter in their aspirations and sense of self. In their transitions, I find that students primarily relied on strategies and behaviors that are focused almost solely on academic effort while also isolating themselves from the college community and precluding themselves from developing social and cultural capital on campus. Second, analyzing their narratives of success allows for understanding the various networks and resources that students call upon in their college career. My findings show that students rely on a family–community nexus, including their on-campus involvement to support their college efforts. In addition to showing how social and cultural capital matter in Black and Latino males’ college experiences, this study extends our understanding of how students strive for and achieve success in college. Keywords education, men, males, race, African Americans, Latinos