Find A Youth Mentor

Hello, my name is Sasha and I am a born and raised New Yorker. I work in NYC as a full-time accountant and a part-time English tutor. Developing alopecia in my young adult life really affected my sense of self and identity. At that time, I did not know how to cope with the emotional stress and had little knowledge or access to the available resources. In time, I found the support of great people who helped me learn more about this disease and encouraged me to stay positive. With their help, I learned everything I could know about alopecia and the tools available to overcome it. I’m proud of the strides I’ve made and the skills I’ve acquired that help me to feel like myself again. I think every journey is a little bit different but we can definitely learn from each other. I would like my role to be someone who can understand, support, and empathize with you and your family. Together we can carry ourselves through this journey.

Everyone is brave. Each person is brave because of their own unique journeys and obstacles. Mine just happened to be alopecia! This is one of the many things alopecia has taught me. Hi! My name is Sabrina. I’ve been a Minnesotan my whole life and never lived anywhere else, but I love exploring new places. I love to create art, eat plants, play tennis, and spend time with my family and friends. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata late 2019. I didn’t develop alopecia as a child and haven’t had it for quite as long as some people, but the disease has had a significant impact on me, especially as a college student. Ultimately, it changed my life. My hair loss started out as a single patch but diffused into alopecia universalis within 6 months. I bought a wig initially thinking I just needed to temporarily hide my balding head until my hair grew back. But I realized eventually, as my hair loss worsened, that alopecia was something that was going to be with me for the rest of my life. I shaved my head to take control of the disease and stopped wearing my wig. It made me feel beautiful and more like myself. With each day, I learn more about how to fully accept this mysterious disease. I can’t wait to continue my journey of bravery and be a part of your journey with you!

Hi, I’m Allie! I’m currently in my junior year of high school. I was born and raised in south Jersey, so I’m a diehard Philly sports fan. I love exploring the outdoors and going on trips with my family and friends. My journey with alopecia started my freshman year when i noticed a few, small, bald spots around my head. Developing alopecia during such a big transitional period in my life definitely took a stab at my mental health. Luckily, I was (and still am) blessed to be surrounded by such amazing and supportive people who have made this journey so much easier. My goal is to be that support system to someone else who needs it now as much as I did then.

Hi! My name is Olivia. I live in Chicago, IL. I am a junior in high school. I enjoy playing softball and volleyball. Some activities I have a great interest for is traveling, hiking, and going on adventures. I was diagnosed with Alopecia when i was 8 years old. It started with just one spot that was about the size of a dime. I used to flip my hair over it or just cover it up with some dark powder. But a year later, it continued to get worse. I lost all the hair in the back of my head and was completely bald by the start of 4th grade. These past 8 years dealing with this condition have been anything but easy. I struggled a lot, socially and mentally with myself, and still continue to. Alopecia has taken a lot from me but has also blessed me with many things such things such as maturity, new life long friends that I’ve met through NAAF, and new experiences with the people who understand me the most. I really look forward to answering any questions, getting to know you, and being able to help you in any way!

My name is Harris Roach and I am from Atlanta, GA. I am a recent college graduate from Claflin University where I majored in Computer Engineering and minored in Cybersecurity. I currently work at Zoom where I am an Instructional Design Specialist and Project Manager. I am also the Atlanta NAAF Support Group Leader. I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 12 years old, so I have been a part of the community for 10 years now. I am so excited to mentor and meet other Alopecians! 

Hello, my name is Alec! I am a second-year college student studying Cybersecurity at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). I have dealt with Alopecia since the age of two and over time I've learned to embrace it. In my free time, I love playing video games, programming, singing, and creating music. I also enjoy the great outdoors and will take every opportunity to go hiking, kayaking, and especially fishing. I hope to inspire others as a mentor and become closer to the Alopecia community.

Born and raised in the DC Metropolitan Area, I am the 4th of 5 girls in my family. I lost my hair when I was 11-- between my 6th and 7th grade years. I ended 6th grade with a full head of hair and by the time I started 7th grade, had only a few hairs remaining. I never shaved my head, proudly kept each hair until there were none. I chose not to wear wigs or head coverings at the time, and although it was hard to adjust, it was nice to have people ask questions about why I was bald. Since I was 11, I have been completely bald with alopecia universalis (yes, that also includes no eyebrows and no eyelashes-- which people tend to not even notice most of the time!), and I've officially been bald significantly longer than I had hair (11 years with, 16 years without)! When I was 17, I went to college at BYU in Utah where I later joined my first NAAF support group. I've helped host a few events for kids and teens with alopecia, as well as working alongside others with alopecia to create an environment of inclusion and support. I got married in 2016 and after moving across the country twice-- 1st from Utah to Virginia, 2nd from Virginia to Tennessee-- I now reside with my husband and our new baby boy in Columbia, TN. I love to cook, write music and perform, spend time outdoors, do arts and crafts, and spent my free time being as silly and ridiculous as possible (I'd like to think I'm pretty funny)! Although at times I like to dress up and wear different wigs, I have learned over time to be comfortable and confident in who I am and in being bald :) Super excited to have some good times with new friends and I'm looking forward to trying some new things too!

Hello, I’m Hannah! I am 26 and a proud Houston transplant who moved to Texas after graduating from Oklahoma State with a degree in Natural Resources. I love spending as much time as I can outdoors- all while having my pup, Bentley, by my side. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata at the age of twelve, but when I was 22 my diagnosis quickly progressed to Alopecia Universalis. I had a difficult time with the process of losing all of my hair, which led to struggles with my mental health. I’m fortunate to have the most incredibly supportive friends and family, but wish I had had someone who could relate first-hand to what I was going through, and by joining the youth mentor program I hope to be there for someone who needs it. I am proud to have Alopecia and feel empowered by my confidence in being a bald woman. I’m happy to chat about anything having to do with Alopecia and beyond!

Salutations! My name is Candy and I am thankful for my alopecia. Don't get me wrong, the 6 years old Candy did not embrace her new hairdo right away and societal impacts made the self love journey difficult. But looking back, I realized that everything I went through shaped me into the courageous, intelligent, and beautiful person I am today. Strangers and even loved ones have looked at me with wonder and pity because of my condition. This made me believe that having alopecia is a negative thing. For more than half of my life, I underwent many different and sometimes god-awfully painful medications on and off in hopes of restoring my former "beauty." This made it hard to feel beautiful because if I wasn't broken, why spend all that effort trying to "fix" me? This is the question that held me down for years and it explained my lack of worth. Ironically enough, this is the same question that raised me from that cold, dark hole of self-pity. Along the way, other people's opinions began to mean less and less to me; I started to see this question in a new light. Why "fix" what is not broken? I know I am not perfect but alopecia does not make me imperfect, it makes me different, unique. It makes me ME! As long as I am healthy, then in no world is my body short of amazing. It gets me where I need it to go, allows me to enjoy life through my senses, and it keeps me alive! I choose to accept myself even if no one else would because I will no longer live my life for other people. I am thankful for my alopecia because it helped me see my worth and taught me that as long as I love myself, it doesn't matter how the rest of the world looks at me. Life is too short to care about what others think and if they are going to stare anyways, mind as well give them something to look at!

I am a North California native living the Southern California lifestyle. I received my bachelor’s degree at Chapman University and now work in public relations serving clients ranging in industry from government to nonprofit to national corporations. I don’t remember a time not having alopecia and I believe it has really shaped who I am today from the values I hold to what I look for in others. Alopecia has made me a stronger person and I would love to listen to your story and share my experiences!