The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine student perception of mental well-being and coping strategies and the influence on student persistence. Participant views and experiences revealed perceptions regarding challenges at the University, resilience techniques utilized, and overall student satisfaction.Seven freshmen students participated in both focus groups interviews and individual interviews which were used for data collection for the study. The researcher transcribed and coded the data into developing themes. The themes were characterized by the research questions in the study. The findings of this study suggest that the participants believed that student connection, university supports, and coping strategies were all impactful to student persistence. Participants shared their perceptions of the positive influence faculty, advisors, and residence life staff provided them. Useful campus supports were perceived as helpful, such as the University library and mental health counseling. Institutions of higher education engage with an increasing number of students impacted with mental health issues (Eisenberg et al., 2016). Participants in this study described challenges experienced while at college; these included feeling stress and anxiety, exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. Participants in this study revealed feeling overwhelmed by challenges, but positive resilience skills were shared as helpful coping strategies. [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.]