The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on higher education and students. In the spring of 2020, amidst great uncertainty, many colleges and universities closed campuses and abruptly shifted from in-person to virtual instruction to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Several studies point to negative impacts of these disruptions on students, including reduced academic performance and learning loss, decreased opportunities to participate in high-impact practices, greater financial hardships, and basic needs insecurity, and greater struggles with mental health for students. Institutions were also impacted--enrollment, persistence, and completion rates fell, and many colleges and universities experienced revenue losses and staff layoffs. These challenges exacerbated existing gaps in college access and success for first-generation and low-income students. The Kessler Scholars Collaborative was formally established in early 2020 with a vision to promote access and success for first-generation, low-income college students through comprehensive cohort-based programming, individualized proactive support, and financial resources. The Collaborative's launch just preceded the onset of the pandemic, as institutions were navigating the sudden shift to remote operations by redesigning courses and adapting support services to meet emerging needs. This brief offers insights into the pandemic-era college experiences of the Collaborative's inaugural cohort--the 2020 cohort--and examines how comprehensive support provided by the Kessler Scholars Program promoted belonging, persistence, and completion for first-generation students during this period of disruption. Now that the 2020 cohort has reached the four-year graduation milestone and outcomes data are available, the authors can examine their full college journey and assess the long-term effectiveness of the program adaptations implemented during the pandemic. These insights are particularly valuable as higher education continues to navigate ongoing disruptions due to factors such as enrollment declines, institutional closures, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, and shifts in government policies and regulatory requirements, while institutions seek evidence-based strategies for supporting vulnerable student populations during both crisis and stable periods. [Funding was provided by the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation.]