Many second language learners encounter challenges involved with acquiring the level of proficiency required to use the language as the medium of learning. The case studies in this volume explore the processes by which some English Language Learners (ELLs) at the university level develop literacy skills, and the strategies they use to comprehend subject matter in the mainstream curriculum. The two cases discussed are a Korean graduate student and a Panamanian undergraduate student at a southeastern university of the U.S.A. Strategies that the students use to succeed include: motivation, academic peer coaching, multi-media, and metacognitive behaviors such as self-solving, asking questions, and spending more time on task.