Find A Youth Mentor

Hello! My name is Mary Wills. I was diagnosed with patchy alopecia in 1994 and universalis in 2011. I am currently a mental health therapist and licensed social worker. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Mount Union, graduate degree at Case Western Reserve University, and studied abroad in northern India. I have experience in diverse social work settings, treating the psychological needs of patients with chronic health conditions. I'm currently married and I've traveled to all fifty states. I enjoy sewing, crafts and spending time with my cats. I'm excited to meet a mentee to provide emotional support through his or her alopecia journey. 

Hi I’m Nell! I’ve been living with Alopecia almost my entire life and have experienced alopecia areata, totalis, and currently have universalis. I have gone through an incredible and intense journey with my alopecia and have ultimately come out of it a stronger and wiser person. I got involved with NAAF two years ago when I went to my first conference and decided to stop wearing my wigs. The conference empowered me so much that I immediately got involved with the organization, with the aim to give back to the amazing community that changed my life. I am 18 years old and going to Sarah Lawrence College next year. I’m hoping to study something in the humanities and creative writing realm, but am undecided. When it comes to hobbies, I like to do anything artistic! I’m a spoken word poet/rapper, ultimate frisbee player, a Buddhist, and am extremely involved with my alopecian community. I am the co-creator of this mentorship program and am dedicated to helping younger kids and parents struggling with alopecia. I do a lot of work for NAAF and have a personal goal of making alopecia more mainstream to help find funding for a cure. Currently I have a lot of experience with younger children through tons of babysitting and meeting and hanging out with younger kids with alopecia. When it comes to personal traits, I pride myself on my fearlessness and my passion (I can thank my alopecia for making me unafraid and strong). I also rock the bald look and am at a point where I accept and love my alopecia

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Washington double majoring in Public Health and Spanish and minoring in Diversity. I am passionate about minority health and hope to use my degree to help marginalized communities. I have had Alopecia since I was 10, went through a million and one treatments to grow it back, but lost it all when I was 12. For two years I wore a wig, but it inhibited from being the outgoing and charismatic Chiara that I was meant to be, so when I was 14, I decided to stop wearing one and have not put one on since! I am all about embracing the bald look, but I usually wear headbands, which have become my staple. When I am not at school or work, I am traveling. All my money goes towards exploring the world! I am Eurasian (Italian/Chinese), so most of my family does not live in the United States, which gives me an even better reason to travel and visit them. I love talking about Alopecia, Diversity and Inclusion, Makeup, Body Positivity, Feminism, Travel, and everything else in between! I did not know a single person who had Alopecia when I was originally diagnosed, so I want to be that support system for someone else who now stands in the shoes that I once did.

Hi! My name is Leah Krut and I am 17 years old. I live in Boca Raton, Florida, and I am a junior in high school. I would consider myself a fun and social person. I enjoy participating in activities such as dance and art. I also love to hang out with my family and friends and try new things.  I developed alopecia areata when I was 11 years old, which caused some patches of my hair to fall out. I never knew when it would flare up, and it caused me anxiety. I also did not know anyone else struggling with this, making me feel insecure. This was a difficult experience for me, but I was fortunate enough to have my hair grow back out eventually. However, it did take a toll on my mental health, and I was grateful to have a supportive group of friends and family around me. With this, I’d love to be able to be a friend to someone else with alopecia. I understand all of the confusion and emotions that come along with alopecia and would love to be able to make someone's life even just a little bit easier on this journey. Despite this challenging experience, I have learned to embrace my differences and have become more confident in who I am. I am excited to see what the future holds and am excited to be able to help others in this journey. 

Hi there! My name is Leon, and I was born in the Big Apple aka NYC. I lived there until I was 11 and then moved to Washington State where I have been ever since. I am 27 and I work in Finance at an AI Infrastructure company. I love playing basketball and watching all kinds of sports from football to soccer. I also enjoy going to the gym, playing video games occasionally, and spending time outdoors if the weather isn’t too gloomy here in Seattle. Creatively, I challenge myself by making different kinds of recipes from different cuisines I find on Pinterest or through family. My journey with Alopecia started when I was about 8 years old. I had started out with patches and eventually was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. I was so insecure for the longest time and always felt like I was different from everyone else, which I was, but in a bad way. It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in high school that I finally decided to own how I look and respect that this is who I am. I would be so excited to be a mentor to someone also going through this because I can only imagine how different my life would have been as a kid if I had someone to relate to. I am open to answering all questions about my experience and of course building a great friendship!

Hi, my name is Laura, I am 24 from Baltimore, MD. I was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of 4. I spent a majority of my childhood playing sports such as soccer, bowling, softball, while also participating in many community activities to distract myself from dealing with being the “bald kid” with a wig that may fall off. I started attending NAAF conferences when I was 5 and have formed many lifelong friendships. I studied Business Communication at Stevenson University. My hair started to grow back at the age of 17 which made college easy. However, fell out entirely at the age of 23. This second time around I was forced to deal with and address my issues with self-confidence, depression, anxiety and self-identification. I have found that the best way for me to live my best life with alopecia is to bring awareness, help empower both kids and adults with alopecia and travel! Through NAAF, social media and my recent travels, I’ve connected with people in U.K., Venezuela and many places throughout the US that have or support my journey with alopecia. In my free time, I also enjoy bowling, reading and trying new adventurous things. I started my #journeywithlaura and I want to help others share their own stories with alopecia.

Hi, I’m Kayla! I'm from a tiny town in Central Pennsylvania called Roaring Spring, it's about 20 minutes from Altoona, Pennsylvania. I have a Bachelor of Science in Early Level Education and absolutely love children! I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 9 years old. From age 9 to 14 I would find maybe 3-4 bald patches every other year and in the off years my hair would grow back. Then my alopecia was in remission for around 5 years but resurfaced in 2018. This time I lost nearly all the hair on my head, so I decided to shave it. Since shaving my head and embracing the new me I’ve found the confidence that I never knew I had. I’m very outgoing and extremely talkative. I hope to help in any way possible, please reach out! I’m excited to meet you!

Hi! My name is Stephanie Yuen and I’m from Marlboro, NJ. I am currently a high school senior. I lost my hair towards the end of 7th grade. It was a very scary and difficult time for my family and I. We did not know why my hair was falling out. I tried everything to grow it back—from medication, topical ointments, to acupuncture. I would see hair growth; however, my hair would fall out once I stopped a treatment. I was then referred to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, otherwise known as CHOP. I was diagnosed with Alopecia, more specifically, Alopecia Universalis, which is hair loss of the entire body. It was extremely difficult at first; I felt different from everybody else. I would question why I was the one to lose my hair. I was a teenager and I did not know how to handle losing my hair. I had a couple of patches left and I couldn’t cover them up with a powder anymore. Then, I decided to shave my head. It made me feel more free; however, seeing my parents cry made me extremely heartbroken. I am very fortunate to have a great support system in my life—my family, teachers, and friends. They have helped me build up my confidence to embrace my baldness in public. Now, I view Alopecia as a blessing. Without it, I would not have the confidence I have today to go and try new things, be involved in my school and community, and meet all the wonderful people in my life. I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!

Hello, my name is Nicolas Srut, and my Alopecia Universalis is my favorite thing about myself! I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata at 8 years old, and from that moment on, my life was never the same. In school, I was bullied frequently, but soon learned how to overcome the opinions of others and shine brightly with my Alopecia. The lessons that having Alopecia has taught me about my own character are irreplaceable, and they have made me into the person I am today. I am a recent high school graduate, finished at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA, was President of the National Honor Society, President of the Court of Magicians, Treasurer of the Thespian Society, and directed a record-breaking UIL One-Act competition play (yes, all at the same time!). I would not have been able to do those things had I not learned to be confident in myself from the struggles Alopecia initially gave me, thus, I am ever grateful for it. Alopecia can be a very beautiful thing, and I want everybody else to see it that way. I have been through quite a journey in my experience with Alopecia, went through lots of ups and downs to make me into who I am today, and I would love to be the mentor to a beautiful mentee and be a positive impact in their journey with Alopecia.

Hi! My name is Lauren. I’m 27 years old and live in the Lansing, MI area. I’m a full time Web Designer, and went to school at Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. I love art; am a photographer in my free time, and I grew up riding horses (I love all animals!). Recently, I’ve taken up meditation and yoga to help deal with anxieties that Alopecia can cause. I’ve pretty much had Alopecia Areata my whole life. The only time I had a full head of hair was when I was born. Around the age of 3, I had no hair on my head, but eventually ended up with patches of hair. I struggled a lot when I was younger, especially when I was in middle school. My mom would try to help me hide my spots using a variety of methods before school every morning, but kids started to figure out that I was hiding something under my bandana or fake pony-tail. The bullying got so bad that I developed PTSD, and became a very depressed and anxious person. To this day, I wish I had someone to talk to and relate to while I was going through these struggles. That is why I am volunteering as a mentor for NAAF: so that I can be the support I wish I had, for someone else who struggles with Alopecia Areata. After moving out and living on my own, I started to figure out that Alopecia should not define my life. I met many wonderful people who have taught me that it’s nothing to be ashamed of, including a wonderful guy who loves me and all my flaws. I started seeing life in a different light, and that things weren’t as bleak as they once seemed. I’ve learned to look past the negative and dark things to truly appreciate the positive things in life, and to be thankful for the life I was given. Even though it’s been a struggle having Alopecia, I feel like it has shaped me into being a wiser and more compassionate person, and I wouldn’t change any of that if I could!