Bridging Cultures x Marina Mogilko

When I was 25 years old in 2011, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I moved to Silicon Valley to started our own business. It was a company similar to Booking.com, but specifically for students to research and book international study abroad experiences. We realized we were among the first to build such a platform in the world. So, we started applying to investor accelerators. While all of this was happening, I was also actively applying to graduate school programs in the U.S. I took the GMAT and TOEFL and started a YouTube channel to share my experiences, just like other creators. Throughout the application process, I felt lonely and thought that I was the only Russian doing this. My channel gave me the opportunity to connect with others. In the end, on the life journey side, I chose the entrepreneurial route. Real-life business experience is priceless. 


Growing up in St. Petersburg, a lot of emphasis was placed on my education. My dad and two of my grandfathers have PhDs; one of my grandfathers was a professor. So, I grew up in an academic environment where my parents wanted me to succeed academically. My two favorite subjects were mathematics and English because I was fascinated by them. Like many people from outside the U.S. in the 90s, I grew up watching American movies. This was almost the only source of information for us about the U.S., and it was all over our television.

I started learning English when I was four. I always dreamed of working or studying abroad, and I knew that English was essential. My English really advanced when I studied abroad in the U.K. at the age of 14. This experience exposed me to native speakers, making me realize how Russian my English was and how difficult it was for me to understand native speakers. We didn't have YouTube back then, and internet access was limited, so I doubled down on learning by buying books and interacting as much as I could with native speakers. I even reached out to random people on Skype to practice English, which, in hindsight, was a bit weird, but it worked!

In 2011, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I founded LinguaTrip to make international education more accessible to students. Studying abroad was a life-changing experience for me; I wanted more people to be able to experience that. My school had an existing study abroad program, but I thought, how can you do this if you're not part of a program? I realized there are many schools abroad that offer programs where you can study. We were both 21, and we wanted to solve the problem of expensive study abroad programs and make quality education accessible, which LinguaTrip does. We also offer courses that help people prepare for standardized tests like TOEFL, IELTS, and GMAT, drawing from my own experiences as a student.

My own experiences inspired LinguaTrip. I would have never started it by myself because I’m more cautious, but my husband is the risk-taker. He said, "You need to help other people live through that experience." So, we started the company!

For me, education is something that opens doors. Sometimes, at events here in Silicon Valley with amazing investors and entrepreneurs, I realize I'm the only immigrant, the only person born and raised in a completely different culture. But thanks to learning English, my YouTube channels, and my company, I am here. It sounds crazy, but it's all because of education. Today, I'm grateful for AI and YouTube, which provide access to free information anytime. This would have been invaluable to me back in 2004 when I first went abroad. But I'm glad we have it now, and I'm glad that I can be a resource for people worldwide to improve their English and understand Americans.

The most exciting part and the biggest challenge of being an entrepreneur at once is solving a problem that also exists for you. We started our company because the process of studying abroad was expensive. The agencies that provided the service were luxury agencies and were all selling very expensive schools. We wanted to make schools affordable. With my company, I basically solved my own problem, which is inspiring to me. My entrepreneurial journey is about solving problems I've experienced and helping others avoid the same challenges. Even if you don't become the next Mark Zuckerberg or Brian Chesky, making an impact on your community is incredibly rewarding.

It's a bit weird because I talk to a camera all day, and then I meet people who say, "Oh, I watched your videos. Thank you so much. That was so helpful!" It seems a little surreal, but I love it. I've been doing this for 10 years, and we're celebrating the 10th anniversary in December 2024 because I posted my first video in December 2014. That video was about the GMAT, and my second video was about the TOEFL, we still help people prepare for these tests.

Because I have so many things on my plate every day, I try to organize tasks by category and group them into specific days. For example, I have a day for shooting short videos, another for creating long-form content, and another for office work like emails and financials. This schedule allows me to focus on different things every day and reduces the time wasted switching between tasks.

That's a great question. If you asked me three years ago, when I became a mom for the second time, I wouldn't have cared what I was wearing. I thought, "Whatever, kids don't care, and it's going to get dirty anyway." But then, after I had my second baby, when she was six months old, I started getting back into shape. I had my babies back-to-back: my first in 2019 and my second in 2021. They're about a year and six months apart. During that time, the last thing I cared about was my style. I realized that in my 20s, I hadn't really cared about style because I was focused on my business: working, building teams, and making videos. Then I thought, "I am aging." My mom actually called me and said, "If you care now, dress up." That conversation made me realize I do care about style. I wanted timeless pieces that reflect me as a person. With my Russian background, living in the US, being an entrepreneur and a mom, and caring about aesthetics, I sought a style that embodied all that.

My favorite piece from the Marcella capsule is the Cameron Dress. Oh my god, it's everything! Pink is my favorite color, and my daughters absolutely love it. They say, "Mommy's a princess!" Combined with the shoes and accessories, it has an elegant, beautiful, European-like style. I also love the Ezra Shirt because it gives this vibe: "Yes, I'm into education. I am on YouTube, but I also like to dress up. I am this modern woman trying to balance it all and be beautiful every day." That's how it makes me feel. The Reina Dress is very sophisticated and perfect for everyday wear. I love all the fabrics. The Morrison Pants go with everything. Out of all the items, every fabric was amazing. All the accessories are easy to wear, very light, and hypoallergenic. I'm very sensitive to materials and jewelry, but these worked well for me. All the shoes are also very comfortable. I don't like wearing heels, but the heels from my capsule collection are super easy to wear. The green sandals feel like house slippers, and I'll be wearing them almost every day this summer. In this collection, everything feels very soft. I feel like I can wear each piece for 12 hours, and it won't pull or be too tight. I highly recommend this capsule for every working woman who doesn't want to sacrifice comfort but still wants to look great.