Literature on the school achievement of young people of Moroccan origin in Catalonia establishes their disadvantaged position and the negative impact that this has on their academic performance and their continuation to post-compulsory education levels. This situation appears to persist regardless of the increasing number of years that their families have been settled in Catalonia and the fact that the young people have been at Catalan schools from a young age. However, the establishment of this trend masks the successful academic careers and the increasing social participation of many of these young people of both sexes in Catalan society. This paper presents the results of a research project that examines the main factors the enable these young people to have successful academic careers and attain long-term academic goals.