Find A Youth Mentor

Hi, I’m Maya! I am from Los Gatos, California but am currently a student at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo pursuing my studies in Graphic Communications. My alopecia journey began at the age of 17. I rapidly lost 85% of my hair and had to shift my focus from social events and school work, to how I was going to cover my balding head. It was traumatic to face events like prom and graduation with the insecurity of not having hair. I wore hats or headbands everyday to cover my bald patches until they got too large to be concealed. I then moved to a hair piece. My hair piece became a security blanket for me as I entered college. I hated every stage I had to go through, but over time I always found a way to accept what was happening to me. Throughout my hair loss, I went to countless doctors and eventually found a clinical trial that prescribed me the drug Xeljanz. It helped stop my hair from falling out and promoted regrowth. I decided to stop the medicine and I noticed my hair beginning to grow back. I recently stopped wearing my hair piece and cut my hair short. I am proud to rock my short hair that is 100% my own! This past year has been a roller coaster of emotions and learning, but my alopecia journey has taught me how to be strong and confident. I now try to focus less on the disease and more on doing what I love: hanging out with family and friends, hiking, going to the beach and enjoying my freshman year. I look forward to helping others who are also on this emotional roller coaster!

Hi there! My name is Rachel, and I am so excited to meet you! I am a college student at Rice University in Houston, Texas, studying psychology. In my free time, I love playing soccer, teaching myself to play guitar, and taking lots and lots of pictures. My journey with Alopecia began when I was around 13 years old, starting with just a few patches. I eventually lost all of my hair at the start of high school and went through many phases of wearing wigs and rocking my bald spots. Learning to accept who I am with and without hair has been a challenging and incredibly rewarding journey, and I am so excited to share that experience with my mentee!

My name is Nathan Adams, and I'm originally from Thomaston, Ga. I currently live in Athens, where I'm a third-year student at the Univesity of Georgia College of Pharmacy. I received my diagnosis of Alopecia Universalis at 8 years old. Shortly after, I lost all of the hair on my body. Initially, for treatment, I received corticosteroid injections every 4-8 weeks in my scalp and eyebrows, and I continued the injections until my early 20's. The steroid injections regrew approximately 50% of the hair on my scalp. However, I still struggled with self-acceptance and anxiety about going out in public. Throughout middle school, high school, and the first part of college, I would rarely go out in public without a hat on from fear of being judged for how I looked. The older I got, the more I realized that I cared about how I looked immensely more than my peers and friends did. When I was 21, I started to see a notable improvement in my hair growth and today currently have roughly 90% regrowth. My hobbies and interests include watching and playing sports (football, basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, bowling, cornhole, wakeboarding, and snowboarding), physical fitness, video games, hiking, watching movies, playing guitar, attending concerts, traveling, and socializing with friends. Although those are some of my interests, I'm open-minded to trying new experiences. Alopecia has taught me the importance of having a positive mindset amidst challenging circumstances and making the most of every situation. Living with alopecia has molded me into who I am today, and I look forward to developing a relationship with my mentee(s) and lending any advice I can along the way.

Hello! My name is Paige Moore. I was initially diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was a sophomore in high school. Experiencing something like this, and still being young was a very tough adjustment. Having an autoimmune disease, like alopecia and being active wasn’t an easy task. My major issue was sweating, making it so hard to keep the spots covered even with the topiks powder. Fortunately, I did overcome for a while, and I went into a period where I had no hair loss and I was over the moon! Fast forward to second semester of my freshman year in college, my hair took a turn for the worst. Within two months I became completely bald and then someone with universalis. I like to think that god only gives us what we can handle. I believe I was blessed with this to help other along their journey.

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.