Our Beginnings
The first Pearl Hacks was held in 2014 as one of the only beginner-friendly hackathons targeted towards women at the time. Founded by UNC alumnus Maegan Clawges, Pearl Hacks was organized in response to the boom in college hackathons. These hackathons allowed participants to spend a weekend bringing their technological ideas to life with the help of their peers and industry professionals.
While all emerging hackathons were great at immersing students into tech, it was clear that the gender gap and the often intimidating environment at those events prevented a lot of women of all skill levels from signing up. The first Pearl Hacks brought together 250 female high school and college students in the hopes of providing them with a positive and welcoming hackathon experience that sidestepped these issues.
By growing and learning from the last ten years of Pearl Hacks (which has nearly tripled in size), we now strive to be an open and inclusive environment for all gender minorities to experience hackathons. After spending the weekend with us, it is our hope that participants feel more confident and capable as they dive deeper into the world of technology. Additionally, Pearl Hacks welcomes a diverse set of skills and seeks to provide as many beginner-friendly resources as possible for those who are coding for the first time!
Pearl Hacks is a weekend of meeting amazing people, learning about technology, and free swag and prizes. We hope you join us at this wonderful event!
Inclusivity Statement
Pearl Hacks is an event designed to uplift and center women and gender non-conforming individuals in tech. We expect all of our mentors, volunteers, participants, directors, sponsors, judges, and visitors to be respectful of our participants’ gender identities and expressions.