Mesmin Destin is the Faculty Director of Student Access & Enrichment and Professor of Psychology and Education at Northwestern University. He is also a fellow of Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research. He directs a multidisciplinary lab group and engages in research that investigates social psychological mechanisms underlying socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes during adolescence and young adulthood. He uses laboratory and field experiments to identify social factors and interactions that influence how young people perceive themselves and pursue their futures. At the university level, he examines how social experiences and institutional resources shape the educational trajectories and health of low socioeconomic status and first-generation college students. His work carries implications for institutions and the development of learning environments that recognize and leverage student strengths and identities in ways that support motivation, achievement, and well-being.