From ESL Student to CEO

By Daniela Palacios, Columbia University

College Beat

Daniela Palacios at the LUPE Conference, Montclair State University. (2025).

I didn’t know it then, but my third-grade ESL class was my first real lesson in innovation. I wasn’t just memorizing vocabulary; I was learning how to navigate, translate, and solve complex problems in real-time. At only eight years old, I was already a
bridge-builder, anchoring the world I came from to the one I was entering.

Growing up bilingual turned me into a cultural architect. I learned to move fluidly between languages, expectations, and environments, decoding the unspoken rules of every room I entered.

But as I mastered the art of navigation, I witnessed a structural collapse happening in my own home. I watched my little brother struggle to speak Spanish, slowly disconnecting from our heritage, our family conversations, and his own sense of self. It wasn’t just a loss of words, it was a loss of identity. That heartbreak became my blueprint. I founded Para KIDS! at 17, so that no other child had to experience the consequences of language barriers. Today, nothing compares to the feeling of walking into a classroom and seeing that mission in motion. I am endlessly grateful to witness students’ faces light up when they finally hear their languages and cultures being affirmed in a school setting.

Daniela speaks at the Latina Empowerment Brunch. Newark, NJ. 2026.

Entering the world of business was its own kind of translation. I didn’t grow up knowing any entrepreneurs, so I had to be my own scout. I pushed myself far out of my comfort zone, cold-emailing business owners and enrolling in business academies to find the mentorship I lacked. Since using family savings wasn’t an option, I treated every pitch competition as a high-stakes mission. These stages became my training ground, helping me find my voice, gain crucial funding, and raise awareness about the necessity of bilingual education. From winning Seton Hall’s Fast Pitch to becoming a Her Campus 22 Under 22 Most Inspiring College Women, I realized that I wasn’t just building an education company, I was becoming a trailblazer for every young Latina who has felt “in-between.”

I brought this mission with me to the gates of Columbia University. I didn’t come here just for the prestige of a degree; I came for the tools to turn a mission into a sustainable movement. I spent my undergraduate years treating this Ivy League institution as an incubator. I brought my social entrepreneurship vision into every lecture hall, alumni connection, and site visit, transforming a visceral community need into a curriculum now trusted by K-12 schools and families alike. To date, Para KIDS! has impacted over 4,000 students across the tri-state area.

True innovation doesn’t happen in a conference room. It is born through the joyful and tearful conversations shared with our families, our communities, and our loved ones. For those of us who grew up navigating different worlds, translation was our first lesson in strategy. When you lean unapologetically into exactly who you are, you don’t just build companies; you build experiences that change the world. For more information, visit: parakidsbooks.com.