Growing up, Claire Su never thought careers in the male-dominated tech industry or IT fields were options for her. But Pearl Hacks — a beginner-friendly hackathon for women and non-binary college students created by college students in Carolina — changed everything.
Su’s older sister had attended the hackathon and encouraged Su, who was in high school at the time, to learn about computing. There were promising careers in the field, she said.
So when Su came to Chapel Hill as a student from Caroline the following year, she attended Pearl Hacks for herself, and in one weekend she not only found her footing in tech, but also a community to support her along the way.
“It was nothing like any event I had attended at UNC,” she said. “I added [computer science] my freshman year and never looked back.
Pearl Hacks attracts sponsors from major tech companies, allowing attendees to network with future employers. (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
Now a senior and president of logistics for Pearl Hacks, Su is one of dozens of Tar Heels helping more women and non-binary individuals start their own paths to technology and computing through the hackathon. The group held its annual event in late February, attracting more than 600 attendees who participated in person at the Carolina Union or virtually from around the world.
Pearl Hacks is an official event hosted by Major League Hacking – a student hackathon league – and attracts major tech sponsors including Google Cloud, Bandwidth, Cisco, Oracle and SAS.
In addition to a hackathon component that challenges small teams to tackle various projects to win prizes, the two-day event included technical workshops, a sponsor fair allowing participants to meet technology companies and opportunities to connect with more women and non-binary tech students.
“This is a weekend where women and non-binary students can really experience technology in a way that’s different from what you would in a traditional classroom,” said Meghna Sharma, President executive and experienced Pearl Hacks. “It’s a fun environment where you get to be yourself. That’s the beauty of it.
The hybrid event was the group’s eighth Pearl Hacks since its inception by Carolina alumna Maegan Clawges, who saw the gender gap in college hackathons and wanted to launch an event that offered women and un binaries a space to participate. Since its launch in 2014, the hackathon has grown in size, but it has remained true to its founding principles.
“Pearl Hacks represents a mission to create an inclusive and safe space for women and non-binary students to learn coding, experience technology and meet new people,” said Sharma, a senior student in computer science, business and statistics.
Provide the tools
Pearl Hacks, said Ashna Patel, wants to help overcome this gender gap by giving attendees the first opportunity to learn and try out different opportunities in technology. The weekend includes beginner-friendly IT workshops and mentors who roam the event to support projects.
Over 600 non-binary students participated in Pearl Hacks at the Carolina Union last month. (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
“We primarily target entry-level coders so that these female and non-binary students feel encouraged and empowered to break into the tech industry and gain more experience,” said Patel, a young computer science and statistics student. who serves as the organization’s sponsorship chair.
The beginner-friendly aspect of the event is what drew freshman Somer Lillard to the Carolina Union for Pearl Hacks last month. The Tar Heel saw the two-day event as an opportunity to further explore the field.
“I mostly came here to learn,” Lillard said. “I am a first year in Comp 110 [Intro to Programming] and don’t know much about it. I thought it was a good opportunity to learn and see what is happening in computer science.
A supportive community
Sharma said that in addition to helping attendees learn technical skills, she hopes the weekend will also be an opportunity to build a stronger community through networking between attendees and businesses looking to bring more of women and non-binary people in their teams.
“I think the most important thing is the community part,” Sharma said. “Computing – and technology as a whole – is very human-centric, so having a space where students feel comfortable working as a team, getting to know each other and being able to talk to companies is a great thing we can do at Pearl Hacks to help build a strong community for our students.
The annual hackathon includes beginner-friendly computer science workshops and access to mentors who travel the event to support projects. (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
This community building is what initially attracted Sharma to Pearl Hacks as a freshman. Having been one of the only girls on her high school’s robotics team, she experienced firsthand the impacts of the gender gap and wanted to be part of a community working to make a difference in the world of technology.
“It’s very important to us to have a safe space where we can freely express and learn these different things and talk about the importance of empowering and encouraging women and non-binary students to pursue their interests in technology. “, she said.
To bring this experience to life, the 16-person board behind Pearl Hacks dedicates hundreds of hours of work behind the scenes. The opportunity to empower women and non-binary tech students, Patel said, makes all the hard work worth it.
“When I step back, it’s a sense of validation that once I get out of my years at UNC, there’s a place for me, and there’s a place for all of these hackers in the world. technology,” she said. “They’re not going to sit in the shadows.”