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This work-in-progress paper focuses on a redesigned first-year experience (FYE) program at [University Name], aimed at increasing student success and retention. While the retention of undergraduate engineering students is essential for addressing the global demand for qualified engineers, first-year retention rates remain a significant challenge. This paper will explore how the redesigned program addresses this challenge. Initially, a project-based Engineering 101 course was revamped in 2016 but showed limited improvement in retention rates, stabilizing around the mid-60% range. In 2021, the program was further restructured into a comprehensive, multi-semester experience named the "[School Mascot] Design Experience," expanding its scope to include students of all majors. The redesigned program integrates the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) Entrepreneurial Mindset framework, emphasizing curiosity, connections, and creating value [1], with Stanford d.school’s Design Thinking model [2]. This approach engages first-year students through multidisciplinary teamwork, peer mentorship, and professional competency workshops, aiming to nurture both academic success and lifelong learning skills. Preliminary results reveal promising trends, with retention rates increasing to 77% in the academic year 2022-2023, representing a significant improvement over prior iterations and exceeding the college’s average by 6% and the university’s average by 5%. This study further explores the correlation between program components and their influence on retention and examines the following research questions: RQ1: How much has this redesigned FYE increased student retention? RQ2: Are students who continue to the spring semester retained at a higher rate? RQ3: To what extent does participation in the redesigned program increase students’ self-reported dimensions of curiosity? RQ4: How does the curiosity level compare between retained students and those not retained?