Find A Youth Mentor

Hi everyone! I’m Laura and I’m from Park Ridge, IL which is right outside of Chicago. I currently go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and am pre-PA majoring in Biology and Global Health. I discovered I had Alopecia when I was 8 years old while I was getting ready for school one morning. A few months later, after trying several different treatments, I was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis and have had no hair growth ever since. Following the year of my diagnosis I went to my first NAAF conference and went for four more years after that. My journey with Alopecia has definitely not been easy as looking so different from my friends and classmates was extremely hard for me. It really took me a long time to accept myself with Alopecia and accept that this might not ever get better. Keeping busy and doing things that I loved all while leaning on my amazing friends and family was what kept me going. I played volleyball all throughout middle school and high school and was editor of my high school newspaper. Now, in college I’m meeting new people all the time and have found it so much easier to be open about my Alopecia and my journey with it as this wasn’t the case while I was growing up. I love hanging out with my friends, going to football games (Go Badgers), and taking advantage of every opportunity I find. Having Alopecia has completely changed my perspective on life and I would love to share my experiences and give any advice I have to my mentee(s)!

Hello, I’m Bella! I’m 19 years old and I’m from Southern California. I attend college in Northern California, specifically as a second-year student at the University of California, Davis. Back home in sunny SoCal, I live with my parents, my twin brother and my poodle-pup named Annabelle. Whenever I can, I love to hike, practice yoga, go to the beach, and attend art galleries and museums. One of my main goals in life is to travel for as long as I’m able to, not necessarily attempt to visit every country, but to connect culturally and make meaningful visits to new places in a deliberate manner. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata during the summer of 2017 after being diagnosed with other health problems, which seemed to cause my AA. Even though my condition isn’t severe nor is it genetic, the emotional trauma of going through this physical disease was tremendously tough. Being a mentor, I want to be able to connect with other battlers of alopecia areata and create potential discussion for a fellow victim in need of a safe space and someone to confide in. I’m very excited to start this program under NAFF and I hope to find another mentee I can learn from and experience a new friendship with. There’s so much to appreciate and to give back in our world, and having hair or not isn’t a criteria of true beauty. What’s beautiful is the struggle in hardships and overcoming obstacles that you wouldn’t think was possible. Having this condition is difficult, rare, and physically arduous, but acceptance and radiating love back out into our environment and to others is the ultimate cure.

Hi my name is Rachael! I’m originally from Boston but am currently in North Carolina for my masters in public health at UNC. I was first diagnosed with alopecia when I was in ninth grade. During that time, I lost about a third of my hair. Since then, I’ve experienced seasons of regrowth and loss as I went from high school to college and now grad school. As a current public health student, I hope to be an advocate to bring more awareness to alopecia in our current healthcare system. It’s been quite the rollercoaster of a journey, but I’m excited to share my experiences with others in this community and learn from them too! In my free time, I enjoy baking, crafting, learning new languages and playing the guitar!

Hi all, my name is Kate Zipperer, and I’m a medical student living in Galveston, Texas. I’m originally from the Austin area, and studied biology at UT. I love to exercise, go to the beach, and travel. Snow-skiing is my favorite! I’m applying to dermatology residency next year, and I look forward to spending my life treating alopecia and connecting with my patients over this common bond. My alopecia story began when I was in the first grade, and was diagnosed with alopecia areata around the same time as my mother. As a child I was ashamed of this part of my life and kept it a secret. Once I started discussing it with others, it lost its power over me and I felt more free to be myself. I hope that I can be a friend to be there for others who are struggling with this condition. I currently mentor and tutor my fellow medical students as well as undergraduate students who are pre-med, and I look forward to connecting with my future mentees over this disease which has been so formative for me and many others.

Hi! My name is Laura and I am 17 years old. I live right outside of Philadelphia, PA and I am a junior in high school. I really enjoy playing volleyball, going to the beach, and traveling! During the summers, I volunteer at a hospital as I am planning on studying biology in college. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was five years old, but it quickly progressed to universalis after all my hair fell out during the summer before first grade. My experience with alopecia was difficult at first, but being a part of the NAAF community has helped me embrace my alopecia! One thing I really look forward to every year is going to the NAAF conference. It is a lot fun and I have made so many friends who I keep in touch with throughout the year. I really look forward to getting to know you and helping you in any way that I can!

“Hi everyone! My name is Julissa. I am 23 years old and I am from Newark, New Jersey. I was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at 1 years old. I’ve experienced hair loss throughout my childhood. As a child, I depended on wigs to be my safe haven. After years of inner conflict, I was finally able to embrace who I am and not hesitate to share my beautiful story with the world. I aim to encourage others to feel free in their own skin. I remember as a child how difficult my journey and sometimes it still is. However, with my experiences I know I can have the opportunity to impact and be a part of someone else’s journey. Hair does not determine your worth or who you are as a person, only you determine that.”

Hi, I’m John! I am a recent college graduate from Clifton Park, NY who now lives in Boston, MA working in employee benefits consulting for an insurance company. My interests include exercising, serving those in need, having deep conversations, listening to music, sports, and chilling with friends. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was 7 years old and this shortly developed into alopecia universalis. At the time, I had difficulty accepting this disease, especially because my family moved shortly after I lost my hair, so I had to leave my childhood friends and start fresh in a new location. My parents always did their best to make me feel comfortable, but I never wanted to talk about it and I never met anyone who had alopecia. This led me to develop anxiety and depression in my late teenage years and early adulthood. Through my hardships, I found people who really care about me and who love me unconditionally in school, soccer, and volunteering. Now, I feel more at peace with myself than ever and am now ready to share my story. I am more than excited to be a part of this great program and let young kids with alopecia know that they are not alone!

Hello! My name is Mikayla Mango, and I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 13 and in seventh grade. I lost all of my hair and wore a wig for three years. I kept my alopecia very private until March 2022, when I began sharing my story and becoming more involved in advocacy. I am currently a nursing student and hope to use both my personal experiences and future career to advocate for and support others. I want young people with alopecia to know that their voices matter and that they are never alone. My goal as a Youth Mentor is to be a source of encouragement and help provide light during moments that may feel dark. I am grateful to be part of NAAF and look forward to continuing to support young people and families throughout their journeys.

I live in Chestnut Hill, MA, and work at the Animal Rescue League of Boston and Gillette Stadium (Go Pats!). I have had alopecia since kindergarten, but lost the majority of my hair the summer before my senior year of high school. I remember going for my first wig, absolutely hating it, and not only being devastated, but furious because I felt as though my hair had been taken away from me. That was the summer of 2010. In the spring of 2012 I lost my eyebrows, and in the fall, my eyelashes. I remember learning how to draw on my eyebrows and watching YouTube videos to learn how to wear fake eyelashes. Soon after losing my eyebrows, I got them tattooed on, and in 2015, I got my bottom eyeliner. Yes it kills, but yes I love them. Ever since, I am in full hair and makeup almost every day. From crying so hard I could barely stand, to showing the boyfriend I thought I would never find what I look like without my hair on, I know what it feels like to hate being bald. I’d be lying if I said I was comfortable with my alopecia, but after my first NAAF conference in 2013, my world started turning in a different direction, in a positive direction. I want everyone to know that it is okay to wear a wig, and that you can still be your super awesome self with one on! I love talking to people and would love to talk to you about wigs, make up, and cute animals!

My name is Sam, and I am originally from Utah, but I spent much of my life in New Hampshire and Idaho. I am now back living in Utah for school. I am student at Utah Valley University studying Digital Marketing and Business Administration. I lived in the Dominican Republic for a year and half, where I became fluent in Spanish, and also where my struggle with alopecia began. A couple months before I returned home from my time there, I noticed a bald spot on my head. I got treatment for it and didn’t have any more fallout until a month before I got married in August of 2017. Since then I’ve pretty consistent loss, and although I still have my own hair, it gets thinner and I find new spots every day, so it’s just something I have learned to accept and own. Alopecia runs in my family, and I witnessed my mom struggle with it pretty much my entire life. I watched how hard she took it and how much she struggled with confidence and feeling normal, so I decided to become a mentor so I could help someone to own their alopecia at a young age, so they don’t go through the same struggles my mom has as an adult. I’ve learned you can’t let alopecia get in the way of you living your life and it is so important to continue doing all the things you love. I love to be outdoors, I am really in to skiing, rock climbing, hiking and biking. I hope to be a friend, a support, and a guide, and to be more involved in the alopecia community.