The importance of post-traditional women's persistence in earning credentials at a community college cannot be understated. The literature addresses the issue of non-completion within the community college; however, it does not address why or how some students complete, in this instance, post-traditional women. Deficiencies exist in the literature, as it primarily concerns why students do not finish. Therefore, the research conducted for this study was critical for higher education. Throughout the study, five themes emerged: Resiliency, Respect, Economics, and Support and Integration, as well as subthemes as the women shared their stories of how they persisted in earning a credential at a community college. The essence of the phenomenon of why post-traditional women persist in earning credentials included challenges within their lives that brought them to and through their educational endeavors and earning respect from others and self-respect. The women wanted to work for a better life for their families and earn more money through a higher paying job. However, they experienced many struggles in paying for their education at the community college. The support the women received inside and outside of the classroom led to their social and academic integration on campus and assisted the women in feeling a sense of belongingness which led to completion. Future research should include advising, orientations, and work experience credit tailored to this particular group of students. Thus, the student may feel supported early on in their educational experience and potentially integrate sooner, creating a clear, concise path to completion. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]