Staff Feature:
Ann Rita Taugasolo-Wilks
This month we interviewed our Advocacy and Case Management Supervisor. She recently moved to Minnesota from Hawaii and everyone at DAP loves her. Check out this interview to learn more about Ann Rita and her work in the field.
DAP: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Ann Rita: I am from Hawaii and have 6 kids. I was in the military where I had 3 kids, and was pregnant with my 4th while on active duty. Funny story, I actually didn’t realize I was homeless as a kid until I talked with my siblings later on. Then my dad got a job on a pineapple plantation and his job provided us with housing. This led to a lot of humbling moments. It was open and airy and I played outside a lot. I really didn’t realize that I grew up poor and joined the Navy. That’s when I realized what I didn’t have growing up.
DAP: Why is working in support of families that have experienced domestic violence important to you?
Ann Rita: It has always been my calling to help people. I really think that the family unit is such a significant part of a healthy society. If a family is going through domestic violence and there’s a lot of brokenness, it’s reflected in our community. My work with families is in service of building a healthier community for generations to come. Also, I would have loved to see an advocate like myself sitting across the room from me when I was young. I present myself as the person I wish I saw in community when I needed support for my family.
DAP: What has been your primary role here?
Ann Rita: I am the Advocacy and Case Management Supervisor at DAP. That’s my official role, but I really enjoy mentoring and pouring back into others. You don’t need to be homeless or in a DV situation to have empathy for a victim or survivor.
DAP: What have you enjoyed about working in case management and advocacy?
Ann Rita: The interactions, for sure. With families, victim survivors— seeing them come in and helping those in need. I enjoy helping people to build their strengths and watching people put the pieces back together. It’s such a joy to watch people win. I also love my team. Even days that are stressful are still good days. There’s a difference between good stress and bad stress. Here all of the stress that we face serves a purpose.
DAP: What changes have you seen in the field since you first started?
Ann Rita: When I first joined the military, women were seen but not heard. Now women are empowered to see themselves in places they haven’t seen themselves before. The positions in which women are in now gives me a lot of inspiration about where we can be in society today as women. Also, people used to talk about domestic violence as an at home or family issue. Now I think it is approached as a community or public health issue. Tying domestic violence into the different levels of society has been something cool to see.
DAP: You recently moved to Minnesota from Hawaii. How is the transition going?
Ann Rita: No joke, my daughter called my mom back in Hawaii and told her the trees were sick. I had to sit my kids down and tell them about the changing seasons, because they’ve only seen it in books! So funny. Also, we’re super excited to try snowboarding. I heard it’s the surfing of winter. We’ll see how that goes!
DAP: One more question, Ann Rita! What’s your favorite thing about working at DAP?
Ann Rita: It’s the team and conversations. The mindsets. Everyone has such different experiences and different cultures that we can all learn from. It’s also a space where innovation is encouraged, and that’s where I’m at my best. DAP trusts us to innovate on how we could better serve families, and I love that.
