CORE is delighted to introduce two new members to our team: Zakiyyah Sorensen and Mfonobong Ufot.
Zakiyyah Sorensen is the CORE Outreach Lead. In this role, Zakiyyah directs the strategic planning and vision for CORE outreach and engagement, and identifies and maintains networks of interested parties from large organizational stakeholders to individuals at the community level. Through those relationships, she facilitates the identification of research priorities, and the development, translation, and dissemination of research findings in support of community needs in Wisconsin.
Zakiyyah is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Zakiyyah specialized in Sexual and Reproductive Health as a Public Health Nurse with the Madison and Dane County Public Health Department. She co-created a sexual and reproductive health curriculum centered on principles of reproductive justice, presented most recently at the National Sexual Health Conference, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s Safe Healthy Strong Conference, HCET, and Providers and Teens Communicating for Health.
Zakiyyah was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and has lived in Wisconsin for the past 15 years. You can normally find her behind a camera, traveling, or reading in her hammock trying to enjoy Wisconsin’s ridiculously short summers.
Mfonobong Ufot is the CORE Program Coordinator. Her support will help CORE achieve its mission of conducting comprehensive research on reproductive health to help families make informed decisions. Her role includes assisting with preliminary research, tracking state and national legislation, and facilitating communications. She will also provide critical administrative support services to make sure CORE runs smoothly.
Mfonobong is a recent University of Wisconsin-Madison alumna. She was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Maryland with her family. A Posse DC scholar, Mfonobong double majored in Agriculture & Applied Economics and International Studies with a Gender & Women’s Studies certificate (minor). During undergrad, she served as President of the African Students Association, House Fellow with University Housing, and Program, Planning, and Development Chair and Chapter Treasurer for the Zeta Xi Core chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Mfonobong recently completed an internship as a Poverty Studies Research Intern with the UW Institute for Research on Poverty and Morgridge Center for Public Service. Mfonobong is passionate about combining her knowledge from economics and international studies and channeling it towards working with vulnerable communities, focusing primarily on access for women and girls both locally and globally.
Fun fact: Mfonobong is an avid Pinterest user. She enjoys creating boards, trying new recipes, and working on craft projects.
Welcome Zakiyyah and Mfonobong!