Increasing student retention is one of the greatest challenges faced by community colleges. First-year community college students face a complex set of issues in grappling with their new academic roles and identities. Therefore, there is a need for effective retention efforts that support students during this time of transition. First-Year Experience (FYE) courses designed to support academics, social development, persistence, and degree completion have been found to be high-impact practices that affect positive differences in student engagement, college-readiness, and sense of belonging. Much of the data used to evaluate the effectiveness of FYE programs has been quantitative and focused on four-year institutions. This study seeks to address the gap in qualitative data on community college FYE students. The purpose of this study was to discover the essence of the lived experiences of first-year community college students with the intent of shedding light on the potential for the first-year seminar (FYS) course to function as a ritual space that supports students in their work to develop their identities as members of a college community. The data collected for this study were interviews of seven FYS students at midterm and at the end of their first semester of college and reflective writing and/or videos they did as part of the major assessments for their FYS course. I employed a hermeneutic phenomenology approach in that I sought to uncover the essence of the participants' lived experiences as first-year community college students and understand them within the social contexts that shaped those experiences. Using a ritual and critical empathy lens, I interpreted their everyday lived experiences of self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and belongingness during their first semester. Through my engagement in the critical reflection of hermeneutic phenomenological analysis, I sought to understand the complex experiences of the participants and the underlying phenomena that structured those experiences as they grappled with their new academic roles within the lifeworld of the community college. The following major themes emerged from the study: (1) Need for Belonging and Community; (2) Borders Between Anxiety and Hope; (3) Sense of Awakening and Becoming; and (4) Movement Toward Active Engagement. [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.]