While studying Spanish in middle school, Adele Touhey caught the proverbial language “bug” — and never lost it. As a first-generation college student, the New Jersey native earned an undergraduate degree in Chinese & Linguistics, a master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction — all from UAlbany. Today, Adele works in her “dream job” as senior learning designer at Duolingo, where she develops curriculum for Chinese and Korean learners. She’s quick to note that it takes a team of engineers, designers, data scientists, product managers and linguists to advance Duolingo’s mission to make “the best education in the world and make it universally available.” Adele welcomed UAlbany Magazine inside the company’s world headquarters to see that mission in action.
Duolingo anchors its global operations in Pittsburgh’s dynamic and culturally diverse East Liberty neighborhood nestled between the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. The company also maintains offices in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Berlin, London and Beijing.
The building, a former furniture factory, has been thoughtfully redesigned around the needs of the 500+ employees, affectionately known as Duos. The architectural elements — a soaring atrium layout, colorful and playful graphics, shared and solo work spaces — reflect the company’s core values: inclusivity, creativity and collaboration.
Adele rarely works at her desk, preferring one of the many co-working spaces bathed in natural light and filled with live plants, places she says spark ideas for the app that now offers 40+ languages to more than 300 million users worldwide.
Duolingo’s cross-functional culture allows Adele, rooted on the learning side, to contribute across teams — joining designers for rapid Zoom sprints, weighing in as product managers shape new features, and collaborating with engineers and data scientists who test, fine-tune and scale lessons for millions.
From Post-it notes to plushies, Duo, the company’s recognizable mascot, is a constant presence and inspiration.
Despite working in a tech-driven, computer-based environment, Adele prefers jotting ideas by hand in a notebook. She’s so familiar with the app’s inner workings, she laughs, “I can’t even use it like a normal person!”
Creativity and learning are woven into the DNA of the company and reflected in nearly every nook and cranny of the building.
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