Find A Youth Mentor

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!

Hello, my name is Alec Friend. I grew up and lived in Texas for most of my life but went to college in Oklahoma. There I received a bachelor's in Sociology and a minor in Russian. Currently, I am pursuing my master's at Texas A&M. I started losing my hair when I was in elementary school but did not get officially diagnosed until I was in sixth grade. At first, it was difficult to navigate school, but I eventually got into a routine and became comfortable with myself.  To this day I still have episodes of hair loss but after every episode I find that I grow more as a person and learn more about myself. My hobbies include sports (either playing or watching) as I played basketball in high school, reading books, traveling, working out, and watching movies and Tv shows. Looking back, I am grateful for having alopecia areata as it developed me into the person I am today. I am excited to be a part of a program such as this and be able to meet others who also have alopecia.

Hi! My name is Anisha Jobanputra, I’m 20 years old and I was born and raised right outside Philadelphia, PA. I'm currently a junior pre-med student at Penn State University! I’m part of the Phi Sigma Rho Sorority, a fusion dance team, and a volunteer of the IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon known as THON! I love running, shopping, dancing, traveling, anything Marvel/superheroes, flower arranging and of course, hanging out with friends and family. I’ve had alopecia areata since I was 4 years old, and can relate to any young child or teen going through this time in their life. It can be difficult, especially with society and expectations, and sometimes it really helps to have someone you can turn to and express all your feelings with. While growing up and navigating through life, alopecia has taught me to care less about what others think, and really focus on how you can be the most empowering, positive, and beautiful version of yourself! I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that it’s okay to have alopecia, and that you will get through it. Alopecia doesn’t have to be something we hide behind or let dictate how we feel or what we do! I am so excited to get to know you and offer any advice or guidance that I can! I’m open to talking about anything and am really looking forward to offering a helping hand and being someone you can count on!

Hello! My name is Mohana Chakrabarti, I’m 23 years old, and I’m a social worker focused in children’s behavioral health. I graduated from the University of Kansas in 2017 with my bachelor’s in social work and currently reside in the Kansas City area. I have a passion for working with kids, teaching them coping and life skills, and learning and growing with them as they live day to day and work to reach their goals. I developed alopecia areata when I was 8 years old that, over the course of two years, became alopecia universalis. I have tried countless remedies such as wigs, topical treatments (both homeopathic and prescription), hats, and headscarves. Through experimentation I have found that wearing headscarves is what makes me feel most comfortable and confident. I’m genuinely looking forward to connecting with other young people with alopecia and being able to use the knowledge gained from my experience to help kids process and cope with their hair loss. Over the years I have had the incredible support of my friends, family, coworkers, and mentors to guide me along my journey and assist me in recognizing my own worth and potential, and I hope to help other kids with alopecia be able to do the same. Alopecia is a confusing and difficult journey, but I believe the youth mentor program can be a hugely supportive resource for kids who’ve joined our wonderful community. My life experiences have given some insight into subjects such as school life, dating/relationships, meeting new people, and professional life and I’m happy to discuss any of these subjects with mentees. Some of my favorite activities/interests are talking about/listening to music, taking walks and adventuring around my city, spending time with my loved ones, and makeup/beauty, but I love trying new things too!

Hi I’m Janitha! I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma but I currently reside in Dallas, TX. I am an elementary school music teacher and have had the pleasure of teaching for the past 6 years! I enjoy all things music but a few of my other hobbies are reading, running, and thrifting! My journey with Alopecia begins at the age of 2 right before entering into elementary. My mother told me that my hair began to fall out in clumps all over my head and that they took me to the doctor where I was diagnosed with having Alopecia. Because I was so young my parents decided against the steroids to possibility regrow my hair. My parents decided to start me out with wearing wigs which they quickly learned would not work for me after I returned home one day after school with the wig in my backpack. I made the bravest decision and decided to not hide my bald head and went to school without wigs. The constant scrutiny and name calling left me feeling alone growing up. I didn’t believe there were others like me because I never saw them growing up. Over the years I became comfortable in my skin and with my features to the point that I forget that I am bald. At times I still struggle with the trauma from my childhood but I truly believe it has shaped me into the amazing person I am today. I was thrilled to find out about this mentoring program because I know that this program would have done wonders for me as a child growing up with Alopecia. I would be honored to be your mentor and help you navigate through all the ups and downs of having Alopecia. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Hi! I was born and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and despite my lifelong denial that I would go to college in Central PA, I ended up here anyway. I am currently a senior at Bucknell University studying International Relations and Spanish. In my free time, I’m on the Division I Women’s Rowing Team here, and I LOVE to watch ice hockey (Go Caps!). I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was young, but only lost patches of my hair or eyebrows. However, during my freshman year of college, I lost all my hair in a three-week span. However, that hasn’t deterred me from things like being a collegiate athlete or studying abroad in Spain for four months. After trying every treatment in the book, I decided to stop about a year ago, until I recently started taking Xeljanz, and miraculously, my hair is coming back (for now at least!). Alopecia has taught me so much about myself and I really believe it’s made me incredibly strong because of it. I have had the support of my awesome teammates, family, and friends to help me. Over the past three years, I’ve learned to embrace my alopecia as something that has given, instead of taken away from me. My first NAAF conference was in Summer 2016 in D.C., and it was an awesome experience! I love talking to anyone and everyone and look forward to helping however I can. I can talk with you about treatment, wigs, and living a super active life with alopecia. Or, we can talk about why the Caps are the best hockey team in the world, books, travelling, future plans, or anything else!