Bridges and Barriers to Student PersistenceThe 21st century campus and classroom can be daunting places for first generation college students. From complicated admissions procedures to complex and confusing financial aid forms, the university culture with which new students are confronted can raise doubts in their minds about whether they can succeed in such an environment, or if they ever belong there. David Yeager and his research team have conducted ground breaking research that asserts that this sense of non-belonging is a compelling factor is student attrition. In this conversation, we discuss how teaching in particular might be leveraged to break down barriers and build bridges to students' heightened sense of belonging, and in turn, their persistence to graduation.