Throughout my educational career, I have been surrounded by gifted students who obviously belonged in higher learning, however I recall knowing and meeting many gifted students in my elementary and high school years who simply dropped out before they could fulfil their academic potential. It was during a road trip with a friend that he and I began discussing another mutual friend who had come from poverty but went to university to become a lawyer and then a judge. I then considered my father, who also came from a low income household and was the first from our family to attend post-secondary education. I began to wonder what it was that gave these people the resilience to finish their postsecondary education. This paper will explore the literature on education pioneers and then discern what it is that they believe helped give them the resources and confidence to continue with higher education. By looking at the resources, programs and other factors that worked for these students, I hope to determine the main factors involved in creating academic success in Education Pioneers from low income households. I believe this study will enable teachers from all levels to help create a system wherein students from low socioeconomic households can feel supported and achieve their academic goals as they move through the stages of education to the highest levels.
