Meet the Four fabulous women behind UC Davis’s new club Confi! Confi is geared towards promoting women’s health and sexuality. Their goal is to create a safe environment for women to get their reproductive health questions answered and to help women in general with their reproductive health.
Photo credits: Mariana Huben
Tell me about yourselves and something you’re personally passionate about in regard to women’s health and sexuality.
Hi! My name is Nouhad Buzad, but everyone calls me Nounou. I am currently a senior majoring in NPB and minoring in Sociology…It is my passion to work with others to improve their lifestyles and to live more holistically. I am personally passionate about wanting to help women lead a more natural lifestyle.
Hi! I’m Melina Tessier and I am a fourth year Global Disease Biology major. My goal is to go to grad school and study public health policy so I can make women’s healthcare more accessible and destigmatized. I’m interested in health disparities and specifically women’s health! I think all women should have access to proper sexual health education.
My name is Hailey Barab and I am the Service Founder for Confi @ Davis. I’m in charge of planning events and volunteer opportunities within the greater community…I am extremely passionate about women’s health and sexuality. I hope to become an OB/GYN, so naturally my favorite health topic is reproductive health and sexuality.
My name is Natalie Olson and I am the Writing Founder for Confi @ Davis. I’ll be editing and publishing everyone’s articles on our website. I am especially passionate about breaking down the stigma surrounding women’s bodies and sexuality, which is one of Confi’s primary goals.
Why did you want to start this club here at UCD?
Hailey Barab: I wanted to start this club at UCD because I saw a great need for it. My work as a health educator has really opened my eyes to the lack of access to resources and education available surrounding women’s health. Many of my friends and peers have come to me with questions regarding their own sexual health because they are comfortable with me. But, for those with no one to go to and ask questions, it can be a bit embarrassing to ask for fear of being judged. That’s why I am so excited for Confi @ Davis because now so many more students can have access to advice, resources, and answers to any questions they may have.
Can you explain the objective of Confi at UC Davis?
Melina Tessier: Our goal is to advocate for women’s health and sexuality on the UCD campus and also in the greater Davis/Sacramento area. We plan on hosting events with Planned Parenthood in Sacramento and working to make women’s health education more accessible.
What type of activities and events does your organization participate in?
Nounou Buzad: We are looking for any events that somehow relate to promoting and advocating women’s health and sexuality… [We] will be participating with Yolo County organizations such as women shelters and may even invite a speaker to talk about a particular health topic such as STDs. We are currently focusing on educating new female freshmen to make them more aware of health risks and how to be safe in their sexual relationships.
Lastly, how does one get involved with Confi?!?
Natalie Olson: We accept members of all gender identities, sexualities, and religions. We can be reached by email at ConfiUCD@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
We encourage everyone to attend our meetings, which are held weekly on Wednesdays at 7pm in Wellman 119. However, you don’t need to attend meetings in order to be a member, and you don’t need to be a member to attend meetings. We also encourage people to reach out to us if they are interested in writing articles for our website (informational, op-ed, or profiles of student orgs/campus resources/ etc.) or helping to plan an event.
We are also looking to partner with other student organizations to host events that promote women’s health and sexuality on campus, so please reach out if you’d like to collaborate!