Youth Mentor Program

Hi, my name is Elizabeth and I was born and raised in Maryland. I’m currently a student at the University of Michigan (go blue!) studying biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience. In my free time I enjoy figure skating, kayaking, and staying active. I’m also completely invested in skincare and beauty! I was first diagnosed with alopecia when I was 14 years old. Since then, I’ve gone back and forth between having nearly a full head of hair to losing almost all my hair. I’ve been through phases of wearing wigs, getting steroid shots, and taking prescription medicine. However, I realized that during this period of time, my desire to get treatment stemmed from my insecurities, and even with treatment, I never truly accepted myself. My turning point was shaving my head for the first time (funny story: I did this ~6 hours before my flight to Cancun) because I finally fully embraced my alopecia. Since then, I’ve actively encouraged myself to appreciate the strength and experiences alopecia has gifted me with. I’ve also learned how to wear wigs and get treatment while still being confident in my identity. My journey has been a little rough but that is exactly why I’m excited to be a mentor! I want to spread positivity and support, whether it be through chatting about my experiences, talking casually, or doing fun activities together. I love trying new things and I’m constantly looking for ways to grow--maybe I can learn from you too!

My name’s Christiane Helmer, and I’m from Palo Alto, CA. I’m currently a sophomore at UC Berkeley and am majoring in Molecular Cellular Biology and Public Health. I’m hoping to work in the medical field. Some of my interests are music, fitness/nutrition, and environmental sustainability. I’ve also been dancing for about 11+ years and love it. I’m currently 18 and was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata the summer before my junior year when I was 15. Within months, it quickly progressed to Alopecia Universalis. I felt incredibly self-conscious going to school in the fall with my “new look.” I had no hair whatsoever for most of my junior year and wore a cap almost every day. I tried many treatment options: steroid injections, topical sprays, Chinese medicine, and Xeljanz. After a few months of taking Xeljanz, I noticed significant regrowth, so I decided to stick with it. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from having Alopecia is that you just have to listen to your feelings. I felt a lot of pressure to embrace being bald when people said, “You look great! Just embrace it!” While they had good intentions, the reality was that embracing was sometimes challenging and uncomfortable. I realized that I didn’t have to embrace it when I didn’t feel like it and that doing that was perfectly okay. Everyone has their unique ways of handling their struggles, and I hope I can help my fellow Alopecians through theirs!

Hey friends! I am Jessi. I was born and raised in Santaquin, Utah, a small town in Utah county. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was 5 years old. I am a junior in high school. I love working with little kids, and I currently work as a preschool teacher at a daycare, after school. I own my own business, a snow cone shack. My shack has been a real adventure and a huge learning opportunity for me. I love writing, hiking and really just being outside. Alopecia has basically always been a part of my life. I shaved my head for the first time when I was seven years old. When I was little I always wore hats or wigs everywhere I went. Now though I hate how they feel on my head! When I was younger I didn’t really grasp the fact that I was different than the other kids in my class. It wasn’t until I started getting bullied in second grade that I realized there was something different about me. That was the first time I struggled with it. It did not help that I didn't know anyone else with alopecia, and that's a huge part of why I wanted to become a mentor. I did not really realize until fifth or sixth grade that I didn't need to let my hair, or lack of it, define me. I am excited to get to know more people who have been through things like me, and I hope to be able to offer support to someone who needs it.

Hi, I’m Caroline! I am currently in graduate school in Amherst, Massachusetts. I study geology and am getting my masters studying tsunami risk in Japan. Before this, I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and went to undergraduate at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. In terms of hobbies, I love to hike, rock climb, run, watch movies, cook new recipes, and learn new things. I was diagnosed with alopecia universalis about 4 years ago while at Lafayette, when I turned 20. It all happened pretty quickly for me: my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes all went within a few months. I do own a wig, but don’t wear it very frequently. Even though my experience with alopecia was very recent, I know that without it I would be a very different person today. I have really become able to embrace and love who I am, no matter what that entails. Because of how alopecia has changed me, I feel inspired to talk to others about their experiences and especially work with children and younger people that are going through this. Alopecia is challenging for everyone, but with some help you can come out stronger and more confident on the other side.