Sometimes it feels like the benefits of mentorship are being shouted from the rooftops, especially for women in tech. While mentor relationships are beneficial for everyone, an interview with Janet Phan, a tech leader at PwC and founder of the nonprofit Thriving Elements, in Silicon Republic stresses that mentors are even more crucial for those who come from "disadvantaged communities." Phan's parents are Vietnamese refugees, and she knows firsthand about struggles to succeed when things aren't handed to you. She was lucky enough to find her first mentor when she was only in high school, and has had a series of mentors to help guide her career since then. She now runs a nonprofit that focuses on pairing girls from disadvantaged backgrounds with mentors. "Mentors can make all the difference in a mentee's life. They sure did for mine," Phan said. "For a woman who wants to get into tech, this could be near impossible if she isn't set up for success financially, educationally or without a mentor to guide her. Without mentors creating access and opportunities for me, I wouldn't have reached mine." (See WiCipedia: 'Damaging myths' about differences persist.)

While you may not think of Sephora as a tech company, as a ginormous, worldwide retailer, it's actually more techy than a lot of its Silicon Valley neighbors. Yet they do things a bit differently (to the swipe of their own lipstick, some might say...). NBC News interviewed Deborah Yeh, chief marketing officer of Sephora, to find out how the company has stuck to its inclusive, diverse ideals and how those cultural norms – which are not norms for most other companies – propelled it to the very top. Yeh discusses how rare it is to be a female Asian exec, her experience with harassment because of her race, the power of female mentors, how to "disrupt our ideas of what leadership looks like" and so much more. Check out the article to read Yeh's story of breaking through glass ceilings. (See WiCipedia: Int'l Day of the Girl & Sephora Shows the Ropes.)

If you're a minority in tech, you might be looking around and not seeing many people who look like you. What's the solution? Join a networking group. BuiltIn compiled a list of community groups for minorities in tech, from groups that focus on gender, sexuality, race or disability status. No one should have to be the "lonely only" at work, but until tech looks more diverse, networking groups will have to bridge the gap. (See WiCipedia: How to tackle implicit bias and the 'lonely only'.)

— Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor, Light Reading. Follow us on Twitter @LR_WiC and contact Eryn directly at [email protected].