Find A Youth Mentor

My name is Jessica Nelson but my friends call me Jessi! I am 22 years old and live in Logan, Utah! I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 5 years old! I have always hated wearing wigs, and prefer to keep my head uncovered! I graduated from Payson high school in 2019, and I am now a preschool teacher! I was married to my amazing husband in 2020, and we have been living in Logan ever since! I grew up at the southern edge of Utah County, with an amazing family. I love to do anything craft related, especially painting and sewing! I enjoy going to movies, reading books, and spending time with my friends and family! I also love to be outside, hiking, fishing, and swimming are some of my favorite outside activities! When I was younger I didn’t really grasp the fact that I was different than the other kids in my class. It wasn’t until I started getting bullied in second grade that I realized there was something different about me. That was the first time I struggled with my alopecia. It did not help that I didn't know anyone else with alopecia, and that's a huge part of why I wanted to become a mentor. I did not really realize until fifth or sixth grade that I didn't need to let my hair, or lack of it, define me. I am excited to get to know more people who have been through things like me, and I hope to be able to offer support to someone who needs it.

Hi! My name is Lindsey, I am 17 and a senior in high school. I am from Buffalo Grove, a suburb near Chicago. I have had Alopecia since I was 13, and by the time I was 16 I had lost all the hair on my head. This year, my once bushy eyebrows fell out as well. I was very sad and angry when I first lost my hair, but once I started being open with my friends and peers about my hair loss I felt confident and very supported. Most days I wear a wig, but I have gone to school without my wig before and it was very liberating. I am part of a clinical trial right now but have gone through other various treatments as well. I want to be there for other people with Alopecia who might be struggling, or who might feel alone. More than anything I hope to be a great friend to someone and be there to listen, to give advice, and have fun! I am very involved in school extracurriculars, where I am the vice president of my class and a freshman mentor, and I have played sports for most of my life. In my free time I love to spend time outdoors, hang out with friends, try new hobbies, and ponder life, as well as bake, eat lots of ice cream, and read!

Hi, my name is Hannah Bobo and I am from Indiana, although I was born in North Carolina (once a Tar Heel, always a Tar Heel). I enjoy playing the piano, reading and have recently gotten into photography-but I spend most of my time playing basketball. I have become really interested in pharmacy, and plan to pursue pharmacy school after I graduate high school. I was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at the age of 2. It grew back quickly, and up until the summer before I went into sixth grade I had alopecia areata. After that, I completely lost all of my hair, and have been bald since then (I am a junior in high school!). For a while, I tried topical steroids and wore bandanas because I wasn’t comfortable with being bald. After seeing other kids with alopecia and how they were able to be themselves without treatment and head coverings, I decided to stop seeking treatment and wearing bandanas. This journey has been a rollercoaster, from the self-confidence issues, the people I’ve met, countless minutes spent standing in the mirror upset that I didn’t have hair, to being able to help others with the same things I have struggled with, and the things I have been able to accomplish because of a newfound confidence in my alopecia. In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing! I’ve met some amazing people who have helped me through the journey, and I would love to pay it forward by helping others in any way that I can!

Hi! My name is Sooji and I was born and raised in Flushing, New York. I have a bachelors’ degree in Art History and currently working on an art portfolio for grad school in Art Education. In my spare time, I love to document my memories through scrapbooking. When it comes to crafting, I am always eager to learn new techniques and skills. I always found art to help me through my emotional distress when I was diagnosed with alopecia. My journey began when I was 10 years old. I had watched a tiny patch on my head get bigger, my hair line getting wider until eventually, I could not hide it anymore. Soon, my eyebrows and eyelashes were gone. I always wore a bandana and a hat to school. Within 1 year while taking steroid injections, I was grateful that my hair grew back. For 8 years, I would get bald patches that were easy to cover up. When I was 18, I was hospitalized and my body reacted to a medication that triggered all of my hair to fall out. The second time around, I did not take any medication but surprisingly, my hair grew back in three years. During those three years, it was difficult to accept my image. I decided to purchase a wig and little by little, I stopped using my wig as a safety blanket. Eventually, I only wore a bandana. In less than a year, I was able to walk out of my house with nothing on my head. That day, I felt so unbelievably empowered by my choice. Again, my hair grew back, but even today, I am facing some bald patches. Having alopecia made me a strong and confident individual. I would love to talk, listen or just have fun! 

My name is Regina, people often call me “Reg” to make it easier. I’m 17 years old and grew up in a small town on the Jersey Shore called Point Pleasant Beach (for those of you who watch MTV’s jersey shore, seaside is around 20 minutes south of my town). I have 5 older siblings, 2 dogs and 2 cats. I enjoy spending time with my friends and siblings, listening to music, and I am a big basketball fan. My favorite sports teams are all from Philadelphia! I am going into my senior year of high school and plan on applying to colleges in the fall of 2018. When I was around 6, I started to lose my hair and eventually all of it fell out. I have had no hair on my scalp since kindergarten. I never have worn a wig or decided to cover up my head because I’ve always wanted to be myself. I hope that I can incorporate my experience with Alopecia and establish reliability with other young people that have alopecia and make their days happier and easier.

Hi everyone, I’m Kayla! I grew up in North Jersey but currently am attending the University of Pittsburgh as a sophomore with a major in Communication Science Disorder. In my free time, I like to explore Pittsburgh (absolutely amazing city), go on hikes, play basketball, or really any type of sport, and am pretty much open to doing anything. I got diagnosed with alopecia summer going into my senior year of high school, when I noticed I had a missing patch on the back of my head at the hairline. As senior year went on I was doing pretty well, another spot popped up but it wasn’t terrible, until about January and alopecia did its magic and poof all my hair fell out in a matter of two weeks. Right in the middle of basketball season too, it was really hard for me to even comprehend what was going on. I was very self-conscious and embarrassed of what was going on, and I think that is because I did not think anyone would understand or even be able to relate/not know what alopecia is. I wore a wig full time, didn’t tell anybody about what was going on except for my two best friends. I tried so many different remedies to get my hair, since different things work for everybody I wanted to try them all. I felt really alone, no matter how much I talked to my therapist or best friends it didn’t help because they don’t have the experience of going through loosing your hair, so it was super difficult. I found ways to cope and learned how to become more comfortable with myself. I struggled with some mental health problems, but I was very lucky to have a really supportive parents and sisters who all helped me go through a lot. I look back on the experience and I know I am a different person today, a better person because of it. I hope to talk to someone who I can relate to and support them through a tough journey. Own alopecia, don’t let it own you!

Hi, my name’s Ashley! I live in Michigan, and I am a senior in high school. I enjoy swimming, playing the flute, baking, and math. My alopecia started when I was fourteen. There were a few bald spots at first, but eventually all my hair fell out. I tried different creams and injections from doctors, but nothing seemed to work. That was when I found so many amazing organizations that provided me with wigs. This allowed me to feel so much more confident. My biggest issue was being on the swim team. I couldn’t wear my wig in the pool, so I closed myself off from my teammates. Next swim season, I decided I was tired of hiding. I told my teammates about my hair loss, and I felt so relieved. I want to be there for others who feel like I did. I hope that people with alopecia will feel less alone.  

Hello! My name is Harrison Goldberg, I was born and currently live in the New York Metropolitan Area. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata Universalis when I was 6 years old. I lost all of the hair on my head within three weeks - and the rest of it within three months. In the beginning, it was very hard for me to make friends and I was made fun of in school for being “different” than everyone else. That same year, I attended my first NAAF conference in Houston, Texas. Ever since then, my journey through Alopecia hasn’t been exactly smooth. But what I can say, is that Alopecia has gifted me with great advice, greater memories, and most of all life-long friendships. Currently, I am a junior in High School and I plan on applying to colleges next fall. I love to talk about anything whether it be sports, T.V, news, or just anything in general. In the beginning I, like any other person, struggled greatly through Alopecia. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from having Alopecia is to constantly persevere - the storm always comes to pass! It’s always been a dream of mine to help out kids who went through the same struggle I went through nearly ten years ago; to see those thoughts come to reality is more than a dream come true. I would be more than happy to share my experiences regarding Alopecia or just talk in general. Thank you for your time!

Hi, my name is Ali Cavanaugh and I am no stranger to autoimmune disorders. At the age of 13 months old I was diagnosed with diabetes, at the age of 6 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, at the age of 8 I was diagnosed with autoimmune hives, at the age of 13 I was diagnosed with Vitiligo, and finally at the age of 25 I was diagnosed with Alopecia. I wont lie, being diagnosed with Alopecia was probably one of the hardest things to hear…and I have heard a lot of things. To know that there is nothing that I can do to keep my hair from falling out was devastating. But, instead of crumbling into pieces I picked myself up and embraced being bald. I grabbed a pair of razors and shaved what remained off. I found a great wig place in my area, Wigs R You, and have so many different wigs that I can be a different person every day of the week. When I get tired of wigs or head scarfs I just take it all off and enjoy the freedom. Alopecia has not hindered my life in any way…I won’t let it. I still play sports, go to work, ride horses, got married, and so much more. I would love to use my experience dealing with Alopecia Universalis to help you accept who you are and discover that you are more than just hair.

Hi! I’m Aubri! I’m 27 years old from Spokane Washington! I love to create! My favorite things to create range from fun videos, art, photography, cooking to more! I also love playing games of all kinds- board games, card games and video games. I’m a huge Nintendo fan! Learning languages is a passion of mine and watching foreign movies. Best believe I will never turn down a karaoke party. I love all types of music, including main stream, indie, Latin and K-pop. I studied piano for nine years and sang in choir for 7! I have twin toddlers and we love going on adventures. I was first diagnosed with alopecia when I was 6 years old, and lost all of my hair in 1st grade. I don't wear wigs or hats. I just go bald and embrace my shiny head wherever I go!