Su Lazo did not plan on leaving a Big Four accounting firm to work in workforce development. But over time, professional rigor and personal loss reframed how she measured success and impact.
Born and raised on the island of Kauaʻi, Lazo spent more than a decade on the East Coast, building a successful career as an auditor with Deloitte in the Washington, D.C., and Virginia areas. The work was demanding and respected, but distance from home — and from purpose — became harder to ignore.
In 2017, she lost her father and ended a long-term relationship. That winter, during a walk in sub-freezing temperatures, the question that had been lingering finally surfaced…