Daily Inspiration: Meet Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto.

Hi Jansen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in the Philippines in 1987 and spent the first 18 years of my life there. I navigated the stark contrast between living in destitute poverty amidst a squatters’ area and then shifting to the luxury of a two-story house with marble floors in a gated community.

This tumultuous journey spanned from the harsh realities of my early years—living alongside hardworking people, homeless souls, drug dealers, and prostitutes—to later being enveloped in the company of movie stars, politicians, and business magnates. This dichotomy resulted from my Japanese father entering my life when I was 5. While he offered material comfort and taught me valuable skills like martial arts, he also controlled, belittled, and isolated my mother and me. I didn’t know my life was not normal until high school when I got severely punished for inviting a friend into our house. I didn’t realize the magnitude of our insane life until I had to go back to the Philippines in 2019. I helped my mother escape the house in the middle of the night, took several cabs, and had to go to multiple safe houses before I flew her back to her island hometown.

So, at 16, my father gave me the best birthday gift – acknowledging me as his son, making me a US citizen. At 18, I dropped out of my 3rd year in Computer Science at the University of the Philippines. I then hopped on a plane for the first time in my life for a 30-hour flight to Tucson, Arizona, USA. I was running away and pursuing my dream of becoming a rich bachelor writer!

However, escaping 10,000 miles away differed from the panacea I’d hoped for. My emotional wounds haunted my nights, leading me to seek solace in alcohol. Then, providence intervened. I met my wife, Barbie, and her son, Timmy. Life took a transformative turn when I accepted God into my life and found my purpose. I married Barbie, embraced fatherhood to my two sons, Timothy and Kenji, and learned the ropes of being a family man.

Around this time, in our humble living room, Higher Ground took root. The catalyst? Timmy’s struggle in school. Eager to help, I began tutoring him. Word spread, and soon, our space brimmed with his friends—all facing academic challenges and burdened with traumatic histories that mirrored my own.

Barbie and I saw a glaring need. In 2007, we started Higher Ground at a church called Mission View Assembly, offering our services for free because we knew the community couldn’t afford it. The response was staggering. Within two years, our small space could no longer contain the growing number of students seeking our aid. Our humble initiative soon caught the attention of Pima County and TUSD, leading to us becoming a 501(c)3 organization. Barbie and I took a leap of faith, quitting our jobs to commit to Higher Ground fully. Our reach expanded through tireless efforts and key partnerships, like the one with TUSD. We grew at Valencia Middle School by the 2011-2012 school year and expanded our programs, from jujutsu to financial literacy, catering to the holistic development of our students.

Our continued association with the Tucson Unified School District has been pivotal. When the community mourned the closure of Wakefield Middle School, Higher Ground stepped in. This allowed us to reach more hearts and homes. Today, we champion the community school initiative in Arizona through our Restart SMART strategy. Our footprint spans 8 schools in two counties, touching the lives of over 2,000 youth, countless families, and hundreds of educators. What began in my living room has now morphed into an organization empowering people to change systems and cultures.

My journey, filled with highs and lows, has fueled my mission at Higher Ground. The lessons I’ve learned, both painful and joyous, serve as a testament that with faith, perseverance, love, and a community around us, we can surmount many challenges in life.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it was not a smooth road. From the beginning of Higher Ground, it was rough. I was 20 years old, foreign-born, struggling with my trauma, and had no professional background in what we did. Understanding the business aspects of the organization took a lot of work. From budgeting to liability, operational efficiency, and leading people, we all had to learn through mistakes and mentors. During many moments, we failed financially and, in 2018, almost closed down due to a change of funding mechanism to 80% of our income. Then 2020, the pandemic hit as we barely recovered from the financial storm that took out many smaller organizations like us. In addition to the financial challenges, we also had challenges ensuring that we performed with high outcomes and excellence. Being able to access research, data, and high-quality program designs with a limited budget, experience, and educational background was equally challenging. Finally, earning credibility and being taken seriously in leadership circles was equally challenging. Many larger organizations wanted to avoid partnering with us or would take advantage of us being a young leader, foreign-born, Asian, and with little educational accolades; there were many meetings where I felt dismissed or made to feel like I did not belong.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Higher Ground facilitates transformative systems and cultures to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by poverty, trauma, and opportunity gaps. We are known for empowering individuals and communities to reach their full potential through comprehensive programs, innovative solutions, and strategic collaborations. What sets Higher Ground apart is our holistic approach that combines data-driven strategies, community engagement, continuous learning, and technological innovation. Our focus on providing support, education, and resources while fostering a culture of compassion, resilience, and character-building makes our organization unique in addressing individuals’ immediate needs and the broader systemic changes required for sustainable impact. Our emphasis on collaboration, partnerships, and policy shifts while always focusing on developing our youth and families further differentiates us by aiming to improve the education ecosystem on a larger scale while still impacting students and families.

Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
Mentors are what allowed Higher Ground to grow and continue to play a large role in our organization. Finding them requires extensive research and an honest analysis of what we need, our strengths, our weaknesses, and our blind spots. Often, finding mentors who think like us or are in our circle is easy. However, what has worked well for me is finding mentors in completely different businesses, beliefs, and affiliations from me while having core values alignment. I need to have mentors who give me a completely different point of view and oppose my ideas. Networking is both a great and terrible thing. In the beginning, my time was often spent on every networking opportunity. It often led to many distractions and meaningful connections. Then, I became extreme at one point and avoided every networking opportunity, leading to missed connections and a lack of visibility. It is important to have a balance with networking. It is best to network with a purpose and not for networking itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: higherground.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highergroundaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highergroundresourcecenter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/higher-ground-resource-center
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/higherground_07