Find A Youth Mentor

My name is Catherine Sanam Taghizadeh, and I recently graduated from UCLA as a psychobiology major and English minor. I aspire to become a physician, and I would especially love to guide other alopecians in their journeys of healing. I grew up in Palm Harbor, Florida, and I started seeing bald spots at the beginning of second grade. I used to have the typical strong hair and thick eyebrows that run in Persian heritage, but once my alopecia started, I was left covering up the hair I blatantly lacked. I wore bandanas until I lost all my hair right before entering middle school, and I transitioned to wigs. I remember how difficult this time was, as I was trying to figure out who I was while hiding my true self. In my small Florida hometown, it was tough finding other alopecians to connect with. Now, I would love to provide that support and friendship I wish I had during a time when I felt very different from everyone else. I have been living in Santa Monica, California, for 6 years now with my parents, three siblings, dog, and parrotlet. Besides doing neurology research, I love creative writing, watching fun movies, playing the piano, exploring the outdoors, and participating in sports like basketball. As a mentor, I would be a friend in good times and bad, and I hope to show that being “different” is just an original way of being yourself.

Hello everyone :) My name is Tiffany. I am originally from Jersey and moved down to sunny South Florida. I work full time at a non profit in helping other people. My Alopecia journey began when I was around 12 years old. That is when I first spotted a small bald spot on my head. I did receive some treatment for it. However, my alopecia became severe when I was 16 years old. I was going through a stressful time in my life and my hair was falling out more and more as each day went by. Eventually, I lost all my hair and had to start learning how to pick and wear wigs. I did get some more treatment throughout the years for my alopecia universalis. Eventually, my hair did grow back but I still get some occasional bald spots every now and then. Looking back to when I was younger, I think it would have helped me cope better to have that additional support from knowing someone else who was struggling with alopecia. I just want to let you know that you are not alone. I look forward to connecting, empowering, and supporting you on your Alopecia journey. :)

My name is Ally Jewell - I’m a loving mother, outdoor enthusiast, dungeons and dragons explorer, owner of frogs, creator of art, and reader of books. I tend to be more on the quiet side until you get to know me, and then I’m a spunky goofball. I grew up West of Boulder in the mountains of Colorado, and the mountains will forever be my true home. I began rock climbing a few years ago when I met my husband, and that became a big passion of mine. Aside from rock climbing, I love hiking, camping, painting, museuming, cooking, baking, yoga-ing, and spending time doing honestly anything with my incredible daughter. I’m also a student, currently working toward a Master’s in social work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. I have a strong passion for helping people and other animals.  I was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis 18 years ago when I was 9, and it’s certainly been a roller-coaster of emotions. Some days I know Alopecia is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and other days it seems like I could blame all of my problems on it. With so much pressure on us to “look good,” and so many subliminal messages of what that is, life can be really hard with no hair. Lately, I’ve been focusing on self-love and self-care to help ground and empower myself. Mindfulness and gratitude have done wonders for me, too. I am so grateful for NAAF and the opportunity to mentor an amazing Alopecian!

Katie Jewell is a 20-year-old Alopecian living in Boulder, CO and attending the University of Colorado Boulder, where she is studying Integrated Physiology (i.e., pre-med). Her primary hobbies include reading, loving on her dog, playing all sorts of card/board games, and doing anything and everything outside. She shaved her head in September 2017 after her alopecia patches blossomed into big, bald, silver dollars throughout her scalp. Since then, she has been proudly letting her dynamic mosaic of a head breath at home, at school, at the restaurant where she waitresses, and everywhere else. Growing up, Katie was fortunate enough to have an older sister with alopecia universalis who lost all her hair when Katie was six (and her sister was nine). When Katie's first bout of alopecia hit at 15, she had an amazing role model to provide advice, friendship, and more than anything, someone who understood. Now, Katie wants to reach out to the young Alopecians and serve as their friend, peer, and mentor through the tricky waters of alopecia. Katie is excited to become a youth mentor, where she'll be able to build lasting relationships with her fellow Alopecians!

My name is Lindsey Graham, and I am originally from the Chicago suburbs of Illinois, but I currently attend the University of Iowa, and live in Iowa. I am double majoring in elementary education and art. I lost my hair just a year ago, when I was 20. I randomly started to experience hair loss, and after seeing a couple of doctors I was diagnosed with Alopecia. Within 2 weeks, I had lost all the hair on my head. This was shocking for me losing it all so quickly, and living 20 years prior without experiencing anything like this. I started by wearing wigs, but eventually I realized this was just an unnecessary strain on my life and I started to wear hats. My hair is now growing back, but I am unsure how long this will last. Either way, I have found peace with how things keep changing, and I have continued to live my life as normally as anyone else. Some things that I like to do are paint/ draw, spend time with my new puppy, hangout with my friends, go hiking, and watch movies. I also take Italian at the University and I love it, and am even going to Italy soon. Mentoring interests me because I am very extroverted and love to meet new people, especially people who are dealing with similar things as me!

Born and raised in Northern Michigan, I now live and work in the Los Angeles area. I’m currently a logistics officer in the Air Force at LA AF Base, happily married, and have two wonderful daughters, ages 3 &1. Before LA, my wife and I lived by Harrisburg, PA and Destin, FL. We both attended college at the University of Michigan and are big football fans. I started losing my hair during my sophomore year of high school with several patches on my scalp. I tried growing it out but the patches eventually grew too large to hide and I shaved all my hair by the start of my senior year. I’ve had Alopecia Areata since being diagnosed at 15 and have been bald since I was 17. I found it very hard to cope with as a teenager in a small high school and wish I knew someone at that time also with Alopecia. I’ve been involved with NAAF for several years and am excited to be a part of the mentorship program.

Hey! My name is Christine, I'm 25 and I was born, raised and currently reside in Boston, Massachusetts. I was diagnosed with Alopecia at the age of 20 while I was in my Junior year of college. During that time my mother was very ill and had gone into hospice and shortly after died. For this reason my dermatologist attributes my Alopecia Universalis diagnosis to stress. No one in my family has had alopecia nor had I shown any signs of Alopecia during my childhood. My diagnosis and new life as someone with Alopecia has been nothing short of a journey. Initially I was very closed off however I have truly come to embrace and love that I don't have hair! I currently work as an Emergency Medical Technician for the City of Boston and I own a small wood-working craft type business on the side. Through both of my jobs I am constantly interacting with the public which has in turn made me more comfortable with who I am. I'm so excited to become a youth mentor and help whoever I can in this alopecia journey.

Hi! My name is Ebony and I am from Jackson, Michigan. Currently I am not in school, but will be returning next year! At the age of 4 I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, which later turned into alopecia universalis. For the past 22 years of dealing with hair loss, it has been challenging trying to live a normal life. I was bullied and teased all throughout grade school simply because of my difference, even experiencing hospitalizations for other illnesses. I grew up in a single parent home, being raised by my mother. Throughout my childhood she made various hats for me to wear, in order to have a presentable look in public. Each school year trips were made to speak with school officials to expound on alopecia, so they could better assist me. My hair constantly fell out and grew back up until 5th grade, which began my wig journey and lead my mom to making my very first headband wig. When I turned 16, she taught me how to draw eyebrows and would draw them for me each morning before school until becoming skilled to do it myself. Which explains my now profession of being a Makeup Artist, I am full hair and makeup almost everyday. In 2015, NAAF was introduced to me, by way of pageantry. My mom and I had no knowledge of this organization prior to this time. Since beginning my pageant career, I had chosen alopecia awareness as my platform, which is how I got connected to NAAF. After meeting Gary, the rest became history. I am now a Legislative Liaison, Co-Captain of awareness events for Michigan, a Pageant Girl, Makeup Artist, YouTuber, Model, I am also a Christian, serving in ministry at my church! Summer 2016, was the very first time that my mother and I attended the NAAF Conference. It was an unforgettable experience being in Washington D.C. Meeting so many baldies for the first time and finally being comfortable in my skin. Accepting myself is a lesson that my mom has taught me from very young. Growing up I had struggled with self-confidence and would get discouraged due to rejection. Having gone through so many rough patches in life, helped me gain an amazing amount of strength! I didn’t have anyone to look up to for guidance, so I want to be of an inspiration and help in any way that I can. If it weren’t for alopecia, I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today.

Hi! My name is Briana Muñoz-Flores, but you can call me Bri. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Unviersalis when I was 4 years old. It was hard in school trying to understand why I was different and dealing with bullies. But my parents taught me to "Hide in The Open", meaning I stopped hiding my beautiful head under hats and began to be proud of my head and that I never had to shave! I found my passion and release in music, so I decided to attend UCLA and graduate with a degree in Ethnomusicology (Playing/Studying Music in other cultures) and Afro-American Studies. I, then, went on to attend USC and graduated with my Masters in Student Affairs. I now work at UCLA creating programming to help graduate students connect to the campus and community. I love to sing, read, and watch movies. I am currently loving Korean Dramas! I am still working out the kinks of being Bald and I don't claim to know everything about having Alopecia, but I'm excited to finally get involved with NAAF.

Hi, my name is Angela Acuna. I'm 28 years old living in Philadelphia (born and raised!) and working for IKEA in Supply Chain Management. I attended Saint Joseph's University and majored in International Business and was a rower there as well. I have been dealing with alopecia since I was 19 years old. I wear a wig most of the time, not because I think I have to - but because I love my wig! People always think all my hair grew back when I tell them I have alopecia. But I have a very large baseball cap collection that I like to wear when I don't feel like wearing a wig. In my free time I really enjoy travelling - I've been to 15 countries in Europe, China, and Chile, and hopefully many more to come! I also enjoy taking advantage of everything Philly has to offer - restaurants, history, museums, parks, and of course all the free exercise classes! It's taken me a long time to learn how to be comfortable with myself with alopecia, but also to learn all the different tools, techniques, and products that are available to help make living with alopecia easier. I would really like to share that with the younger generation so they have an easier time then I did!