The prevailing view of student retention has been shaped by theories that view student attrition through the lens of institutional action or inaction and less on the student's situation or college experiences. Students seek to persist and graduate, however obstacles get in their way. More than half of all student attrition takes place in the first year of college (Deberard, Julka, & Deana, 2004). The Hispanic population continues to rapidly increase within the state of Texas as well as the nation. However, the educational attainment level for Hispanic students lags behind the general population. For the past 100 years, institutional graduation rates have stubbornly held at approximately 50 percent at most colleges (Swail, 2004). The Hispanic population of students entering higher education who failed to realize their dreams of earning a certificate or degree as intended when they started college is all too familiar. Using Swail's (2004) Geometric Model of Student Persistence and Achievement, this study discusses "social, cognitive, and institutional factors all of which take place with the student" (p. 3). This study explores the cognitive and social attributes that students bring with them to campus and the institutional role in the student experience. Components of social factors, cognitive factors, and institutional factors must all be present to provide a solid foundation for student growth, development, and persistence. This study used a qualitative phenomenological research method to explore the lived experiences of seven participants selected from a community college in the southwest borderland that is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution. The purpose of this study was to examine Hispanic, first-generation, freshman students' persistence and retention to gain better understanding of their lived experiences and factors that contributed to their success in the completion of their first year of college. The data was collected and analyzed, and the results were studied to examine student interactions with resources, faculty, and peer integration. By highlighting Hispanic, first-generation, freshman-level college voices and experiences, this study provides recommendations to community colleges, and specifically Hispanic Serving Institutions that may choose to use the information to implement programs and strategies to retain freshman students and positively impact the persistence rate. [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.]