The focus of the current study is on the schooling experiences of minority youth. The research setting is an alternative high school in South Central Los Angeles that serves African American and Latina/o students. The intent of the research is to provide a space for Mexican-American, male and female students to share their personal experiences attending this alternative school and the factors shaping their experience. When studying the variation in their schooling experiences and educational trajectories, I intend to pay close attention to whether students’ Mexican-American identity influences the way they experience their education. Furthermore, because this school has a significantly greater number of male students than female students enrolled, I also plan to explore the ways gender shapes students’ experiences navigating the education system. The methodological approach will be ethnography by means of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and narrative inquiry. Such qualitative methods will help me gain a close familiarity with this student population, and provide me with a more detailed understanding of the alternative education experience. By listening to students describe their experiences, I hope to bring attention to the needs of male and female minority students in alternative schools.