The problem addressed in this study was the equity gap in college certificate and degree completion between first and continuing generation college students. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of first-generation, low-income students regarding their persistence decisions for certificate and degree completion. The study's design was supported by data collection through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. Bourdieu's lens on the sociology of education provided the theoretical interpretive framework for the study.