Abstract
This study explores how diverse first-year students conceptualize literacy through personal narratives written in composition classrooms. Using a narrative inquiry approach, I analyzed student literacy narratives alongside dominant cultural narratives found in existing scholarship. Manual coding revealed that students frequently aligned with the "outsider" narrative—a "little cultural narrative" previously underrepresented in contrast to the dominant "success master narrative." This suggests that student-authored narratives provide valuable insight into alternative understandings of literacy, challenging the singular, success-centered story that often shapes composition pedagogy. The findings highlight the potential for literacy narratives to invite broader, more inclusive definitions of literacy in the field.