Yasmin Dar

Photo from Yasmin Dar

There was a time when Yasmin Dar imagined herself as a doctor. Science and the study of life had been favorite subjects of hers since third grade. So it made sense that she would go on to earn her undergraduate degree in biology from University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Life, it seemed, was exactly as it should be. And yet, all Dar felt was lost.

“Have you ever had that gut feeling that something just isn’t right?” she muses. “I had that feeling for almost two years after graduating with my degree.”

That instinct, some luck and meeting the right people led Dar on a new path to television news. It was, she says, the right fit, though it wasn’t entirely without mishaps.

On her third day as an intern for Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise, Dar accidentally deleted the anchors’ scripts instead of printing them.

“This may sound like a minor error, but anyone who has ever used the electronic news production system knows that it’s not that easy to recover those stories,” she says. “All I heard next was, ‘Where did the show go?'”

The screens, she recalls, went completely blank. Luckily, an executive producer managed to recover the scripts, and Dar was not deterred from pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.

Eventually, she would land on KITV4’s morning show as traffic anchor, where she worked for three-and-a-half years before departing for Eugene, Ore. There, she manned the evening news desk at KVAL as an anchor.

Now, after two-and-a-half years, Dar is back in Hawaii. “I loved living in Oregon and I miss it, but there really is no place like home,” she says. The move comes after she and husband Salvatore Fasi welcomed their first child eight months ago. Raising a newborn without family nearby to help, she says, is something the couple realized is quite difficult.

“I give huge props to families who have to relocate their lives and raise kids without that kind of family support,” she says. “It’s not easy at all. We are so grateful for our family’s help.”

Ready to return to work, Dar has joined Gov. David Ige’s staff as digital media specialist. In this position, Dar plans to work with the governor’s communications team to facilitate open lines of communication between Ige and the public.

“We want to listen to the citizens’ comments and concerns, and of course, within reason, reply to their questions,” she says.

Despite what will surely be a busy schedule, Dar, who appeared on MidWeek‘s Sept. 21, 2007, cover, also hopes to keep up with her blog “Mommy Crush” (mommycrush.com). It’s a project she began after being put on bed rest while pregnant — difficult for someone so used to being busy. On the site, she shares tips learned from her mother, doula and other friends with children.

“I’m new to this mommy world, so when I learn something new, I want to share it to help other moms who might feel like they’re in the same boat,” she says.

And Dar also can add “business owner” to her growing resume. This year, she and sister Shaiyanne Dar launched Dolkii (dolkii.com), an online retailer that specializes in Bohemian apparel and accessories for young women.

All of this may be a departure from TV, but Dar isn’t ready to rule out a return just yet. “That is always a possibility!” she says.