To ascertain why some Mexican Americans achieve despite the record that less than 60% of all Hispanics complete high school and earn only 2% of all bachelor's and 1% of all doctoral degrees, retrospective interviews provided data on 10 dimensions of background characteristics of 45 Chicano "invulnerables." One-third were females; all were 40 years old or less, possessed a J.D., M.D., or Ph.D. from a recognized university, and came from families in which neither parent had completed high school or held a job higher than skilled laborer. Salient findings indicated: all subjects translated parental regard for the work ethic to their school work; half viewed their mothers as the dominant, supportive figure in the home; almost two-thirds attended highly integrated (Anglo) schools, competing successfully against students representing the dominant society; by high school, 82% were considered "college material"; most came from Chicano communities acknowledged as "better than other Chicano neighborhoods"; most felt persistence first, then hard work and ability, were most important to their academic success; all were bicultural, coming from Spanish-speaking homes with strong Mexican cultural ties, but able to adapt to the dominant culture; and many were influenced by the personal attention of a role model or mentor. (NEC)