The purpose of the present study was to examine the social and political significance of an undocumented student and explore how active resistance to barriers can assist students like her to succeed in their academic and personal lives. More specifically, we studied the following questions: (a) How do social and political elements and barriers perceived by an undocumented student in higher education produce active resistance? and (b) How do social and political elements and barriers enable an undocumented student to succeed in her academic and personal life? We carried out our qualitative analysis in two main phases. In the first phase, we used grounded theory to develop a theoretical model derived from the data and consisting of three components: barriers, dialectical struggle, and active resistance or intersectionality. In the second phase, we performed a dialectical analysis to further investigate tensions and spiral paths embedded in the grounded theory model. Our findings reflect for the participant and, by implication, other undocumented students: (a) a reciprocal model of barriers, dialectical struggle, and active resistance or intersectionality, (b) a set of continuously changing states of tension in the academic journey, (c) a spiral form of development reflecting dialectical struggles, and (d) an ultimate synthesis of active resistance and intersectionality that has assisted in modifying existing barriers.