An ethnographic study was conducted of the school experience of 33 Samoan students at a nontracked urban college preparatory high school in Honolulu (Hawaii). Multiple sources of data were used, the most central being structured interviews with nine current students, their teachers, and their parents. Student friendships were of special interest as a means of examining student engagement. Samoan students in Hawaii are a definite minority, and they are frequently among the educationally and economically disadvantaged. Friendships and activities with friends were central to the school experience of these students, and many had an ethnically diverse group of friends. The central role of the school in these students' lives was apparent. Friends were usually in the same class and were frequently involved in the same extracurricular activities. Helping, modeling, and networking were evident in reports of friendships. Two tables summarize survey findings. (Contains 19 references.) (SLD)