The researcher used qualitative phenomenology to study the perception of first-generation college students who have successfully persisted at an HBCU. The researcher sought to determine whether first-generation students who persist in college perceive parental involvement to be a contributing factor. Today, over 37% of students enrolled in colleges and universities are first-generation college students. Compared to their continuing-generation peers (students with at least one parent who graduated from college), first-generation students graduate at nearly a quarter the rate of their peers. Additionally, first-generation college students do not return for their second year at four times the rate of their continuing education peers (Engle & Tinto, 2008).The researcher used Laura Rendon's 1994 Validation Theory as a framework to investigate HBCU students' perception of persistence success. The study comprised interviews and a focus group of eight students. The data analysis identified four main themes: parental commitment and support, constant communication, parental encouragement, and personal resilience. Amazingly, not much research explores the perception of first-generation students who have successfully persisted. Although documented evidence shows that parental involvement significantly influences the academic success of K-12 students, there is limited research on the perception of first-generation students regarding parental involvement and the potential contribution of their parents to their persistent success (Garriott et al., 2015). Past studies have overlooked the impact of parents on the persistence and graduation success of these students. By investigating the impact of parental involvement on the successful persistence of first-generation college students and students' attitudes toward parental involvement, this study sought to close that gap in knowledge about this topic. The findings of this study indicate that students who attend an HBCU perceive that parental involvement contributes to their persistent success. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]