This study aimed to explore the connections between student persistence and retention and students who participated in a First Year Seminar (FYS) called the First-Year Experience Course at a Mississippi community college during the 2022 fall semester and students who were enrolled at the college in the fall of 2018 and took the traditional orientation course. By gathering and utilizing archival data from the community college student database, this study sought to determine if taking the First-Year Experience Course is positively related to students' persistence into the spring semester of 2023 and their retention into the fall of 2023. Chi-square association tests were utilized to evaluate the relationship between persistence and retention and students who enrolled in the 2022 First-Year Experience Course or the 2018 Orientation Course and students who identified as traditional or non-traditional students. None of the chi-square tests indicated a statistically significant relationship between the variables, except the relationship between traditional and non-traditional students and retention. These findings suggest there are likely other factors that have more influence on a student's decision to remain or withdraw from school. This study contributes to the extant literature by expanding knowledge regarding the efficacy of using an FYS in the community college setting. Additionally, it may assist the community college administration in determining whether the new program has successfully reached first-year students with the information they need to succeed in college. [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.]