Alumna Maegan Clawges ’15 is a creative force at Google, YouTube

This story, written by UNC Hussman alumna Jess Abel ’19, ’25 (M.A.), was originally published at college.unc.edu.

When Asheville, North Carolina, native Maegan Clawges ’15 realized that community was the key to her confidence in coding, she wasted no time extending that network to other Tar Heels. As an undergraduate student, Clawges balanced majors in computer science and graphic design with founding Pearl Hacks, a hackathon rooted in inclusivity, creativity and mentorship. Even in its first year, its impact surpassed Clawges’ dreams.

As Pearl Hacks celebrates its 12th anniversary this year, Clawges is hitting big milestones, too. After joining YouTube’s art department as the first creative engineer, she led projects to evolve the company’s brand identity including color palettes and algorithms, logos and iconography and helped launch the YouTube Doodle. You see her work anytime you watch YouTube, from youtube.com to smart TVs and even flip phones.

Recently, Clawges moved teams to help integrate AI into Google Search results. She shares how her time at Carolina shaped her early career.

Did you always know you would work in tech?

No, I was a graphic designer who was still hand-drawing her art! Carolina professor Geoffrey Bell first recommended that I study computer science alongside graphic design. I took Bell’s introductory environmental science course because I love nature and wasn’t fond of chemistry. That class was tough, so I went to office hours a lot. Through office hours, he got to know me and how I approach problem solving. He pointed me toward coding, forever changing the trajectory of my career.

How did you land your first coding-focused job?

I learned about my Microsoft internship by wandering into a career fair at Carolina on my way back from class. Microsoft flew me to Seattle for the interview, which was the first time I’d been on a plane without my parents. I was terrified because I was still in my first computer science class, and I felt like I didn’t know anything. But the interviewers asked me about a topic we had covered in class the week before, and I knew the answer!

What led you to YouTube after graduating from Carolina?

My experience at Microsoft was instrumental in landing an internship at Google, my dream company, before senior year. After graduating, I was recommended for their software engineering residency, where I sought design-oriented teams and projects, including YouTube.

After the residency, I joined YouTube’s art department, a multi-disciplinary team of visual and motion designers, creative writers, illustrators and video producers. I felt right at home because I took classes in each discipline at UNC Hussman.

You moved to the Google Search team in October. How is this role different from your work at YouTube?

Google Search is on the cutting edge of consumer-facing AI products. Incorporating AI capabilities into Google’s traditional search results is a paradigm shift, and I’m looking at how our visual design strategy might adapt to support this product evolution. Gemini is unlocking visual storytelling capabilities and dynamic infographics that were beyond my wildest dreams in 2015.

As a Carolina student, you created Pearl Hacks, a supportive hackathon for new and seasoned coders. What were your goals while creating this experience?

From the beginning, my priority was building a rich, supportive community for folks who felt like outsiders in the tech industry. Encouragement and camaraderie provide a boost of resilience during the steep learning curve and self-doubt that most people confront when studying computer science.

Pearl Hacks turned 12 this year. What’s your hope for the next 12 years?

The tech industry is changing every day — we’re all beginners when it comes to AI. The peer-to-peer knowledge sharing that Pearl Hacks prioritizes is more important than ever because a day at the office is looking more and more like a university hackathon. Prototyping and learning new tools is the job now.