Services geared toward improving student retention and success have increased in recent years, yet we continue to see high rates of attrition from traditional learning environments. My research focuses on the experiences of students who made the decision to leave their respective institutions. Students' voices are rarely documented in the research literature on retention efforts and student success; the stories revealed by this qualitative, heuristic study will broaden our perspectives on why students choose to leave, and do so in the context of sustainability understood as education that is mindful of the student's whole life and environment. A better understanding of why students leave can provide a foundation for creating a more sustainable learning path for students.