Underrepresented communities' entrance and persistence in STEM also connects to social identity theory (SIT), which asserts that a portion of an individual's sense of self derives from perceived membership in a relevant social group. The persistence of students from underrepresented groups in STEM has been correlated with higher science identity. In the context of mentorship, SIT offers a connection for an individual who perceives themselves in the "out group," often a result of historical exclusion by an institution, with someone they perceive as being in the "in group", a person who is already established in this community. With this connection, the individual can more easily visualize the transferal of themselves into the "in group." In this work, the "in group" is generally defined as those in academic and/or industrial positions of power with high capital.