Mission driven storyteller

How learning the language of business in Warrington’s MBA program supports Monica Earle’s (MBA ’25) role as Director of Public Relations and Communications at Duolingo.

“Leave the world better than how you found it.”

From her time as a Girl Scout, Monica Earle (MBA ’25), was instilled with the idea to make a positive impact. Through the communications industry, she’s been able to do just that.

Earle graduated from the University of North Florida in 2011 while the country was still dealing with the effects from the 2008 financial crisis.

“The country was still in a recession,” she explained, with limited job opportunities. She made her break in the industry working overnight at a local TV news station.

“I learned so much,” she said. “That job experience really taught me that you can figure anything out. So much is just taught on the job.”

While she loved her work in broadcasting, she didn’t want to do it forever. After three years she made the switch to digital marketing where she learned about search engine optimization, Google Adwords, social media, email marketing campaigns and more.

After a year and a half in digital marketing, Earle made the switch to Archetype, a technology based public relations firm in New York. There she worked with clients like Spotify, Slack, Waze, GoDaddy, Coursera, Vodafone and Nuro.

At Archetype, “[I was] working on a lot of really cool brands doing interesting things to help improve the world through technology.”

While Earle loved working for the public relations firm, she wanted to move on to a role where she could continue learning and growing.

“So, I started looking at in house roles, and I was very drawn to mission driven brands,” she said.

That’s when she found Duolingo, the free language learning app with over 50 million daily active users. Earle was drawn to the company’s mission to make learning more accessible.

Now, she serves as the director of public relations and communications for Duolingo. In her role she oversees Duolingo’s consumer, product and corporate communications efforts. She’s worked at the company for over four years, starting out as a public relations manager.

“I love that no two days are ever the same. One day I’m pitching a story about how we’re teaching music, the next I’m working on a campaign that makes people laugh. But at the core, it’s all about helping more people learn something new.”

Earle was drawn to the MBA program, because she wanted to get a more comprehensive understanding of corporate affairs.

“I wasn’t going to take time away from my career [and I wasn’t] making a massive career pivot,” she said.

The Warrington College of Business’ flexibility and strong network drew her to the University of Florida.

“I think as much as you pay for the knowledge that you get in business school, you’re also selecting the business school based on the network of people you’ll be able to tap into afterward.”

Through the MBA program, Earle was able to travel to Brazil on the Global Immersion Experience (GIE). 

“The Brazil GIE was really eye opening and fascinating to just see how other countries’ economies work, which industries are actually driving the economy, and what challenges [they face],” she said.

This experience was particularly meaningful to her, because Duolingo performs marketing in Brazil.

“I was able to meet up with a colleague at the end of the trip who was based in Sao Paulo,” she said.

Equipped with her MBA, Earle now has a more comprehensive understanding of the language of business.

“I have a really good understanding of what metrics and what bottom line business numbers need to move in order for senior executives to pay attention and care,” she said. “In [the communications field], that’s really important.”

Earle was also just named one of PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 recipients. She encourages others to continue pushing themselves to learn, even when faced with obstacles or disappointment.

“It’s okay to make lateral moves that might not feel like you’re progressing up,” she said. “As long as you’re learning something new and enjoying it, that’s how you know you’re in the right place.”