Black students, growing up in a small rural and segregated town, were faced with many disadvantages as they pursued paths to overcoming an environment that was not very supportive of them receiving a quality education. These students were not even provided with minimally adequate materials needed to gain knowledge to enter college, or with skill needed to obtain high level jobs, such as usable textbooks and a library necessary for advancing their knowledge base. Despite these challenges many of these students went on to become very successful in life.