The study examined antecedents to high educational achievement of 42 selected Mexican Americans (university professors, third-year law students, and third- and fourth-year medical students) in 5 southwestern universities (4 in California and 1 in New Mexico). Two related considerations prompted the investigation: failure of many Mexican Americans to achieve collegiate success; and the assumptions of many writers that this lack of achievement is related to the parents' low level educational aspirations. All respondents were identified as being members of the Mexican American minority population either through self-disclosure, affiliation with minority campus groups, and/or information supplied by friends. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on family characteristics, educational background, language, and personal information. A total of 34 males and 8 females returned the questionnaire. Parents' support and encouragement was most frequently cited as the single factor contributing to the individual's high academic achievement. Teacher interest and high grade point average also seemed to play important roles in the respondents' achievement. Perhaps the variables that most influenced the respondents' success were those unmeasured variables that comprise "luck." (Author/MH)