The Physics Department at UCF became an APS Bridge Program Site in 2015, which has helped increase significantly the number of graduate students from under-represented minority (URM) groups (from about 4% in 2014 to 22% in 2019). Three students have already graduated with PhDs and several should be doing so in the coming years. I will talk about some of the tenets of the program that are essential for the success of the rpogram. The strong emphasis on various forms of mentoring for the Bridge Program students has in turn made us more aware of the mentoring needs of all graduate students. I will discuss our strategies for recruiting, mentoring and retention of students in the programs, highlighting good practices that have led to successes and lessons learned from our failures. I will also comment on some of the effects this program, together with the UCF-APS PhysTEC program (aimed at increasing the number of physics teachers with strong content knowledge) have had on departmental culture, inclusivity, and attitudes towards students.