DSP Recognition Week 2026: Staff Share Inspiration & Favorite Career Moments
This Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, we wanted to hear from the people who dedicate their time and talents to the MSS community every week of the year.
In the testimonials below, staff from across our organization shine a light on the importance of our work and the moments that make it all worthwhile. Thank you all for empowering people to live the lives they choose!
McKenzie Baker
Direct Support Professional, Oakdale
What inspires you about your job?
Everyday interactions with the people we support and encouraging them to be their best selves have been the most rewarding part of my job. I have built great relationships with a lot of people, and look forward to continuing to do so.
Cheering people on to meet their goals and getting them out into the community for all sorts of opportunities really inspires me to keep showing up every day, as well as motivates me to do more! The environment working with people in our programs is so positive, it's infectious!
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
A moment that stands out in my career is being trusted with the opportunity to pilot new work-sites and volunteer sites, to increase our community engagement. The people we support really enjoy the opportunities to do more in their community and I especially enjoy being able to play a role in their ability to find jobs, be independent, and foster a safe environment to do so!
Audrey Wright
Programming & Community Coordinator, Apple Valley
What inspires you about your job?
Providing a meaningful day for the people I support is what inspires me most. I love to search for ideas and adapt them to the needs and interests of the people we support.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
It is hard to pinpoint one specific moment in my career at MSS that stands out, but overall, the highlight for me is the lasting connections and relationships I've built with people I have supported and their family and team members over the years.
Uchenna Chidozie
Individualized Home Supports/Programming Specialist
What inspires you about your job?
I have family that receives services similar to MSS or will one day, and I try to be how I hope their DSPs are for them.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
Meeting the Remote Programming community in real life. We hung out at the zoo, and we were able to see more than just a small square of each other.
Katy Simmons
MSS Employment Specialist
What inspires you about your job?
The best part is seeing the reaction of the individuals I support when they get hired. I also love watching people grow into their roles: picking up new skills, gaining confidence, figuring out what they're good at and enjoying it. Being part of that process, from the job search to watching them thrive once they're in, is what keeps me motivated.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
I work with someone who found the idea of applying for jobs really overwhelming at first. We spent a long time together in the job search. Some of it was job leads, interview prep, and exploring interests, but a lot of it was just helping them build the confidence to put themselves out there.
Watching people go from feeling so overwhelmed to landing a job they genuinely love is exactly why this work matters to me. It's a reminder that this job isn't just about matching resumes to openings; sometimes it's about walking alongside someone through a much bigger journey and being there when they finally get to see themselves succeed in a job they love.
S. Da’Vine
Art-Focused Direct Support Professional, Brooklyn Park
What inspires you about your job?
What inspires me is how much of an impact we can have on people’s lives. By being kind and compassionate we improve their quality of life.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
Every time we have an opportunity to go out into the community is a moment that stands out to me. Being able to carry on the legacy of helping the people we support be amongst their community and outside communities is something I find very meaningful.
Jesse Gillespie
Service Coordinator, St. Paul
What inspires you about your job?
The job itself. There are so many "jobs" in this world that require a nightly self-care recharge to bolster one’s mind through what they’d need to accomplish by the end of a workday. Maybe it helps to be an extrovert, or to have come from a decade in a MUCH more institutional facility, but my position here does the opposite for me.
I know that, even if I leave with a middle-aged man’s tired body, nearly every single day I come home with a sense of uplifting gratitude from hours of meaningful interpersonal activity that has me excited to engage with whatever my own day-to-day has in store for me.
It feels to me like the difference between a “job” and a career: getting a paycheck for activity that dynamically gives back to you; feeling one’s natural attributes are being utilized meaningfully; to feel like I matter and have a unique impact. I’d become doubtful I’d ever really feel that at a job; it’s such a pleasure to be here among all the people we support & staff who create such a one-of-a-kind environment.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
I love seeing staff & people we support interacting with each other & building authentic relationships, so I have fond memories of the “learning about each other” classes I used to hold during my first year.
After working on introspection-themed projects, we ended the class by giving what we created to another person in the program; a surprisingly tough thing for a lot of us to do. We even wrote a theme song to sing before every class!
Emma Moris
Direct Support Professional, Eagan
What inspires you about your job?
I love caring for others and being able to foster independence as well as making connections with the people we support.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
A moment that stands out to me is when I was awarded the Dakota County Excellence in Service Award early on in my career. I realized how much of an impact I can make.
Brooke Tiegen
Programming & Community Coordinator, Minneapolis
What inspires you about your job?
The people we support are the reason I show up. Simple as that!
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
Every November we have Stone Soup. Persons supported and staff bring in their own ingredient to add to the soup. While the soup cooks, we have read (theatrically recreated a few times) the Stone Soup story. Once we have the soup ready, we invite parents, guardians, old staff, as well as the whole building to join us and share in its goodness.
Jeremiah Ponnie
Direct Support Professional, Shoreview
What inspires you about your job?
What inspires me is being able to support people with disabilities and help them live the life they choose. I really connect with MSS’s mission and vision because that’s the kind of work I want to be a part of. It also connects with my long-term goal of working with the disability population.
What’s a moment that stands out from your career?
What stands out to me is seeing the many opportunities MSS provides for the people we support, such as job coaching, community engagement, beekeeping, and other activities. I appreciate how MSS creates opportunities for people to be included, try new things, and be part of their community. Seeing that reminds me how important it is to help people live the life they choose.