Find A Youth Mentor

Hi! My name is Ra’Neta Oliver and I am from Prince George’s County, Maryland. I am currently a 5th grade English Language Arts Teacher. I was diagnosed with alopcia areata monolocularis at the age of 18-years-old! As a teenager, dealing with alopecia was a major challenge, especially since a woman’s hair is considered her GLORY in African American cultures! Shortly after my diagnosis I began wearing a partial weave which involved perming my natural hair, braiding the very thin portion where my alopecia began, and then sewing in a few track pieces. This styling process didn’t come with 100 percent security. I still had to make sure my noticeable bald spots were covered, which proved to work in doors, but the wind always had other plans for my hair. It wasn’t until 2016 that I found my signature style of a short pixie cut with a 27 piece wig! I love my wigs and my wigs love me! I sometimes wear a nice cute head wrap every now and then too to give my head a breather. My confidence level over the past 10 years has been rather low and was cushioned with much insecurity. Fortunately, those insecurities are being replaced with a relationship with GOD, a positive lifestyle, and an amazing support group of friends and family! I am happy to say that I am embracing my condition and loving myself everyday more and more despite my baldness. I look forward to helping those who share an alopecia journey. I want to share my story, share my baldness, and share my SELF LOVE journey with the world!

Howdy from Texas! My name is Alexia Flores, but I go by Lexie. I am currently 16 years old. I was born in Pasadena, Tx but raised in Rosharon Tx right outside of Houston. I am a high school student I will be a junior in the upcoming school year. I am very involved, in school as well as the community. I am a three time varsity cheerleader, in addition 2 time student council officer in which I currently hold the Parliamentarian position.I first lost quarter size patches of hair when I was two but eventually fell out when I was four. Since then I have been bald and beautiful! I enjoy the outdoors, I like fishing, hunting, riding ATV and lets not forget water therapy (boating/tubing). I can’t say it’s been easy to grow up with Alopecia, but I have been blessed to be surrounded by great family and friends that have supported any challenges I have encountered. Due to my hair loss at a very young age I never wore a wig; I however did wear headbands with bows on them. I had bows galore! As I got older I ditched the headbands and said hello make up!! I am very social and not timid to educate anyone on Alopecia. I currently volunteer at a children’s hospital and have enjoyed talking to other with different walks of life. I enjoy sharing my story as well as learning others life experiences. I look forward to hearing from ya’ll (Texas slang lol)!

Hi, my name is Jordyn! I lived in a suburb of Chicago for most of my life. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was two and have experienced spotty hair loss ever since. My hair loss usually works in 2 year cycles where I lose large spots of hair along my hairline for a year and a half, then it grows back for six months. I’ve recently experienced a larger bout of hair loss in the last year, so my collection of cool headbands and hats has expanded. I would’ve loved having someone around who I could talk to when I was younger, so I’m really excited to be that listening ear for someone with my similar experience. I love sports (especially track and soccer) and I’m involved in student council at my high school. In the Fall, I’ll be attending Washington University in St. Louis to study business and Spanish and run track. You can usually find me (poorly) singing in my car or hanging out with friends. I love making friends and talking to people, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can’t wait to meet you!

My name is Catherine Sherren. Originally from Fresno, California, I moved to Frisco, Texas at one. I recently graduated Cum Laude from Frisco High School, which I maintained a 4.0 GPA for all four years. My experience in high school has definitely had an impact on the person that I am today. I was a member of the orchestra and a member of the school’s broadcast team. Despite being diagnosed with Alopecia during my Junior year of high school, I feel like I still had as great of a high school experience as any student could have. Living with Alopecia has undoubtedly had an impact on the way I live and my outlook on everything. I was really scared at first but was able to learn to live with it with the support of my family and friends. It has taught me to have a positive outlook on life, no matter how down I feel. It has also taught me to be grateful for every little thing in my life. Every time I feel down, I always know it will get better. I really enjoy working and helping others. I currently work at Play Street Museum, an interactive museum for children, where I have been an employee for three years. I really enjoy working at Play Street due to my outgoing personality and my desire to help others and really enjoy watching the children have a good time. The children’s smiles warm my heart. Serving as a mentor for people who live with Alopecia is going to be a great honor for me. I really enjoy helping others and would really love to meet others with Alopecia and offer my assistance in any way I can.

Hi everyone! My name is Bradley Parsons and I am Masters of Public Health student in Houston, Texas. I spent most of my childhood around Chicago before moving to Baltimore for college at Johns Hopkins University, where I studied Public Health and Psychology and played collegiate baseball. I am currently applying to medical school and hope to be able to treat and research Alopecia in my future career as a physician. I love watching sports, exercising, writing music, and occasionally playing video games with friends! Until my sophomore year in college, I had patchy Alopecia Areata around my body. During the summer following my sophomore year, my condition progressed to Alopecia Universalis as all the hair on my body gradually fell out. Luckily, I had amazing support groups of friends, family and colleagues that made me feel comfortable with my condition early on. I look forward to providing that same support to any future mentees in the Youth Mentor program to hopefully ease the struggles that come with Alopecia while also building lasting friendships!

Hello, my name is Ana! I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and currently reside in a little beach town in the South Bay. I hold a degree in Clinical Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills and work as a research associate in breast oncology. I have a passion for nature, traveling, the beach, fashion, and science! For the majority of my life I’ve had a full head of hair, but in the Fall of 2016, I began to notice it thinning. When the thinning progressed, I found myself with hundreds of questions at the dermatologist where I was eventually diagnosed with alopecia areata, and a few months later I progressed to alopecia universalis. For most of my adult life, my hair became my identity without even realizing it. So of course this new diagnosis was a huge shock to me. With a lot of self-reflection, supportive family and friends, and the power of social media, I overcame this transition and fully embraced it. 1 year later, I am proudly bald, beautiful, and motivated to let the world know that there is life after losing your hair! I am grateful to be apart of an amazing community, and I want to help others going through the ups and downs of alopecia.

Diagnosed at the age of 1 and having lost my hair in the first grade, I've seen it all! Whether your concern is wearing a hat at a school that forbids them, playing sports, or navigating school life, I can help! I've been through the anxiety inducing milestones of taking an important college entry exam, the job interviews and even the dating scene and can tell you how Alopecia has affected me both positively and negatively in my adolescent, college and now adult life. A little bit about me: I am 23 years old, living in my hometown of Chicago, having graduated from Northwestern University and now working in the business consulting industry. I was lucky enough to have my own mentor at a young age whom I still keep in contact with today. Through that experience, I understand the value of a mentor and that is why I am so excited about the launch of this new program! With that, please don't hesitate to reach out! I would be happy to talk about how to deal with your Alopecia and any difficulties that you may encounter, or just discuss a more lighthearted topic such as why my World Champion Chicago Cubs will repeat this year or if Chance the Rapper or Kendrick Lamar released the better album in the last 12 months. I look forward to hearing from you and maybe even meeting in person at my 15th NAAF conference this summer in Miami!

My name is Monique Waldman, but you can call me Mo. I am 22 years old, and I graduated from James Madison University this past May. I was born and raised in Virginia, and lived there my whole life, but I moved to Denver this summer to begin graduate school at the University of Colorado, Denver. I am working towards a PhD in Immunology, where I plan to research autoimmune diseases. One day, I hope to either conduct alopecia research of my own, or work (for NAAF?) as a scientific liaison/grant reviewer. In the meantime, my program is expected to take 5-7 years, so I’m growing roots in Denver and I look forward to connecting with the alopecia community here! Outside of science, I find time for rock climbing, hiking, singing and playing the baritone ukulele, picnicking in Cheesman Park, and cooking with my boyfriend. I have had alopecia areata since I was two, and I lost all of my hair when I was 10. I went without wigs for a while, but I wore wigs throughout high school. Then when I went to college, I stopped wearing a wig all together. These days, I am usually bald with special-occasion wig accessorizing, and I have a very extensive hat collection. My alopecia has varied throughout my life, switching between patchy and universalis, so I can offer advice or empathy for just about any stage of hair loss. Growing up with alopecia had its highs and its lows, but I learned over the years to feel thankful for my unique and bold appearance. I have been attending NAAF conferences since I was 8 years old, and I owe so much of my confidence and self-acceptance to my friends and the young adults that I looked up to. I am so excited to have the opportunity to pay that forward, and be a friend to a younger alopecian.

Hello! My name is CJ Ostrosky. I’m 24, and currently working as a graphic designer and communications professional for a nonprofit in Washington, DC, where I’ve lived for the last few years since graduating from college. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, PA, and I visit my family there frequently and have a lot of hometown pride. When I can, I love to travel all over the world and try new things (especially new foods). I also enjoy painting, reading, kayaking, and spending time with friends. Alopecia is new to me: I lost all my hair just eight months ago. I believe I have alopecia universalis, though I’ve been pursuing a few treatments so far and seen my eyebrows grow back a bit! At first, alopecia was really scary and stressful for me, and it still isn’t always easy, but it has also brought me a new appreciation for my appearance, and a love of doing crazy colorful make-up. Usually, I rock my baldness, but I also really enjoy wearing brightly colored wigs from time to time for fun. For me, I know it would have been easier to cope with such a sudden change if I had known anyone else who had struggled with alopecia. As a mentor, I want to be that person for others and let them know that they are not alone. I am excited to get to know other people who have been through this crazy journey, and I hope to be able to offer support to someone who needs it.

My name is Sarah Ford, I’m 17 years old and live outside of Philadelphia. I am currently a senior at Conestoga High School and during my freshman year is when I found out about my Alopecia. My hobbies include traveling, playing sports and babysitting! In the Fall of my freshman year I noticed a bald spot on my head and all my doctors told me it was from stress. Later that year, I found out it was Alopecia Areata and I began to get the shots in my head to grow back the hair. Since I only had one bald spot the shots worked, and my hair grew back in that area. Around the same time in fall my sophomore year I started to lose my hair again. This time all my hair fell out. I started wearing a wig because I was very self-conscious about looking so different than the rest of my peers in such a big school. During my junior year, all my hair started to grow back under my wig, I had hair down to my ears. Everyone around me was telling me to stop wearing my wig but I was so scared and insecure of what other people were going to say. One day, with the support of my family and friends around me I decided to stop wearing the wig and walk into school with my short hair. I have learned so much through this experience, and even though it was exceptionally hard, it has taught me so much about myself and has changed my perspective on life. Alopecia is a very emotional and hard disease to cope with, but with the help of other people who have alopecia and the community around me I learned that Alopecia isn’t all that matters and there is so much more to life! I can’t wait to be able to give the support that I had to other people who are struggling with Alopecia too.