NEW YORK - s4story -- Last month, first-generation Haitian American speech therapist Magdala Noel won $10,000 in the Queens Tech and Innovation Challenge, a competitive pitch competition. Noel is the founder of Hand in Hand Speech Therapy, a mobile multilingual pediatric speech-language pathology practice serving families across Queens. The practice provides evaluations and therapy in English and each family's native language, ensuring children from multilingual and underserved households are supported in the language they actually live in.

"As a solo founder building a multilingual practice from the ground up, that kind of validation hits differently. It tells you that the work is seen. The families are seen. You are seen," proclaims Noel. "In a borough where over 300 languages are spoken, and more than half the population is bilingual, multilingual pediatric speech therapy isn't a niche, it's a need."

"Multilingual pediatric speech therapy isn't a niche — it's a need."

Magdala credits her dedication to her parents and her Haitian heritage. "I am a proud first-generation Haitian American, born and raised in Queens Village, the daughter of a custodian and a line chef. My parents built a life with their hands and their faith, and they raised me with a clear, unshakable vision. They poured into me three words they repeated like a prayer: lekol, lakay, legliz, school, home, and church. Education, family, and faith. Those three pillars shape every decision I make, every family I serve, and every step I take as a founder," she declares. "My parents didn't have business degrees. They had calloused hands and unbreakable faith. They taught me that hard work is sacred, that service is a calling, and that language, the way a child speaks at home, the way a grandmother prays, the way a family laughs around the dinner table, is precious and worth protecting."

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She also credits her win to assistance from a nonprofit organization called the Workshop in Business Opportunities. WIBO helped her hone her business skills. I knew it the moment I sat in the information session. "I felt that same spark that pushed me to launch Hand in Hand back in 2023. Every class since then has reignited that same fire. The curriculum forced me to slow down and actually build the business infrastructure I had been carrying around in my head," claims excitedly. "By the time I stepped onto the QEDC stage, I wasn't pitching a vision," said Noel. "I was pitching a business with real numbers behind it. That's because of WIBO."

Course instructor Francine Holt pushed Noel to ask harder questions about her business model and supported her shift in mindset from employee to CEO. Her fellow cohort members also played a direct role in her success. Helping her with her PowerPoint deck and presentation. "There's something powerful about being in a room of business owners who get it, surrounded by mentors whose only goal is to see you win."

"Your child's first words matter, in whatever language they come in."

The Queens Tech and Innovation Challenge awarded Noel $10,000 and about another $5,000 in in-kind services. Noel joined the competition because she wanted to stand on that stage and make the case for why this work was crucial. "This win matters because it is part of a much bigger transition," Noel said. "Every time a multilingual practice gets recognized, it sends a message to the families we serve: your child deserves an evaluator who speaks their language. Your child's first words matter, in whatever language they come in. That's what I'm building. That's why this win matters."

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It does indeed matter for her Haitian community and her family. Especially her parents. "They taught me to show up. They taught me to dream loudly. And they taught me that when you build something real, you build it for the community that raised you and that above all, you walk through this world as a steward for the Most High," explains Magdal. "Hand in Hand is the business version of everything they poured into me. It's their dream, my mission, and our community's future all in one."

About Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO):
Founded in 1966 at the YWCA on 125th Street in Harlem, WIBO is a New York City nonprofit that has trained over 18,000 entrepreneurs and helped create more than 34,000 jobs across the five boroughs. Through WIBO Grow, free legal and accounting clinics, and a strong alumni network, WIBO helps entrepreneurs build financially strong, sustainable businesses.
Learn more at https://wibo.works/

Media Contact: Amore Philip | AOPR LLC | Amore@aoprllc.com