Find A Youth Mentor

Hey, I'm Ezra. I'm a high school senior in Houston, Texas. I enjoy playing musical instruments (guitar, saxophone, and piano), soccer, watching football (Fly Eagles Fly), and playing video games. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis at 11 years old, and lost all the hair on my head, eyebrows, and arms/legs in the weeks after my diagnosis. As a mentor, I hope to spend quality time with mentees and impart any tips or advice I've learned throughout my Alopecia journey while having some fun!

Hello, I’m Ben Israel and I am from the suburbs of Detroit. I lost my hair when I was 7 years old and have been pretty much bald ever since. I have a passion for all sports, especially ice hockey. I played NCAA D1 Ice Hockey for 4 years at Colorado College. I am also very interested in business and investing. Having alopecia was difficult at times, especially during middle school and high school, but it has made me so much stronger. I am extremely excited to meet people who have alopecia as well and help them realize the strength that they can gain from it too. I would love the opportunity to share my experiences with alopecia as well as support children and families through theirs.

Hello! My name is Grace Duhs. I am 17 years old. I live in sunny San Diego California. My mom discovered my Alopecia Areata when she was routinely brushing my hair and found a bald spot the size of a quarter. I started just losing my hair until I was completely bald. I now have Alopecia Universalis but I'm still living a positive life! My favorite hobby is acting in my school plays for the past six years! I was recently in the play Lion King and I was the comedic character Timon! I also love baking, doing track and field, soccer, and hanging out with my friends. I have 2 fluffy dogs named Toby and Hana and they are the best dogs. I want to help support kids who have Alopecia and be a friend to anyone who needs it. I want to help them gain confidence and show them they are made beautifully inside and out. My favorite quote from my Alopecia experience is, “Why fit in when you are born to stand out.”

Hello! My name is Mary Wills. I was diagnosed with patchy alopecia in 1994 and universalis in 2011. I am currently a mental health therapist and licensed social worker. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Mount Union, graduate degree at Case Western Reserve University, and studied abroad in northern India. I have experience in diverse social work settings, treating the psychological needs of patients with chronic health conditions. I'm currently married and I've traveled to all fifty states. I enjoy sewing, crafts and spending time with my cats. I'm excited to meet a mentee to provide emotional support through his or her alopecia journey. 

Hi I’m Nell! I’ve been living with Alopecia almost my entire life and have experienced alopecia areata, totalis, and currently have universalis. I have gone through an incredible and intense journey with my alopecia and have ultimately come out of it a stronger and wiser person. I got involved with NAAF two years ago when I went to my first conference and decided to stop wearing my wigs. The conference empowered me so much that I immediately got involved with the organization, with the aim to give back to the amazing community that changed my life. I am 18 years old and going to Sarah Lawrence College next year. I’m hoping to study something in the humanities and creative writing realm, but am undecided. When it comes to hobbies, I like to do anything artistic! I’m a spoken word poet/rapper, ultimate frisbee player, a Buddhist, and am extremely involved with my alopecian community. I am the co-creator of this mentorship program and am dedicated to helping younger kids and parents struggling with alopecia. I do a lot of work for NAAF and have a personal goal of making alopecia more mainstream to help find funding for a cure. Currently I have a lot of experience with younger children through tons of babysitting and meeting and hanging out with younger kids with alopecia. When it comes to personal traits, I pride myself on my fearlessness and my passion (I can thank my alopecia for making me unafraid and strong). I also rock the bald look and am at a point where I accept and love my alopecia

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Washington double majoring in Public Health and Spanish and minoring in Diversity. I am passionate about minority health and hope to use my degree to help marginalized communities. I have had Alopecia since I was 10, went through a million and one treatments to grow it back, but lost it all when I was 12. For two years I wore a wig, but it inhibited from being the outgoing and charismatic Chiara that I was meant to be, so when I was 14, I decided to stop wearing one and have not put one on since! I am all about embracing the bald look, but I usually wear headbands, which have become my staple. When I am not at school or work, I am traveling. All my money goes towards exploring the world! I am Eurasian (Italian/Chinese), so most of my family does not live in the United States, which gives me an even better reason to travel and visit them. I love talking about Alopecia, Diversity and Inclusion, Makeup, Body Positivity, Feminism, Travel, and everything else in between! I did not know a single person who had Alopecia when I was originally diagnosed, so I want to be that support system for someone else who now stands in the shoes that I once did.

Hi! My name is Leah Krut and I am 17 years old. I live in Boca Raton, Florida, and I am a junior in high school. I would consider myself a fun and social person. I enjoy participating in activities such as dance and art. I also love to hang out with my family and friends and try new things.  I developed alopecia areata when I was 11 years old, which caused some patches of my hair to fall out. I never knew when it would flare up, and it caused me anxiety. I also did not know anyone else struggling with this, making me feel insecure. This was a difficult experience for me, but I was fortunate enough to have my hair grow back out eventually. However, it did take a toll on my mental health, and I was grateful to have a supportive group of friends and family around me. With this, I’d love to be able to be a friend to someone else with alopecia. I understand all of the confusion and emotions that come along with alopecia and would love to be able to make someone's life even just a little bit easier on this journey. Despite this challenging experience, I have learned to embrace my differences and have become more confident in who I am. I am excited to see what the future holds and am excited to be able to help others in this journey. 

"Hi there! My name is Leon, and I was born in the Big Apple aka NYC. I lived there until I was 11 and then moved to Washington State where I have been ever since. I am 23 and I work as a Real Estate Valuation Analyst for a global commercial real estate firm. I love playing basketball and watching all kinds of sports from football to soccer. I also enjoy going to the gym, playing video games occasionally, and spending time outdoors if the weather isn’t too gloomy here in Seattle. Creatively, I challenge myself by making different kinds of recipes from different cuisines I find on Pinterest or through family. My journey with Alopecia started when I was about 8 years old. I had started out with patches and eventually was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. I was so insecure for the longest time and always felt like I was different from everyone else, which I was, but in a bad way. It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in high school that I finally decided to own how I look and respect that this is who I am. I would be so excited to be a mentor to someone also going through this because I can only imagine how different my life would have been as a kid if I had someone to relate to. I am open to answering all questions about my experience and of course building a great friendship!"

Hi, my name is Laura, I am 24 from Baltimore, MD. I was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of 4. I spent a majority of my childhood playing sports such as soccer, bowling, softball, while also participating in many community activities to distract myself from dealing with being the “bald kid” with a wig that may fall off. I started attending NAAF conferences when I was 5 and have formed many lifelong friendships. I studied Business Communication at Stevenson University. My hair started to grow back at the age of 17 which made college easy. However, fell out entirely at the age of 23. This second time around I was forced to deal with and address my issues with self-confidence, depression, anxiety and self-identification. I have found that the best way for me to live my best life with alopecia is to bring awareness, help empower both kids and adults with alopecia and travel! Through NAAF, social media and my recent travels, I’ve connected with people in U.K., Venezuela and many places throughout the US that have or support my journey with alopecia. In my free time, I also enjoy bowling, reading and trying new adventurous things. I started my #journeywithlaura and I want to help others share their own stories with alopecia.

Hi there! My name is Michaela. I'm originally from the beautiful state of New Hampshire and relocated to California in 2015. I work in television and spend my free time reading, playing video games, hanging out with my cat, Woody, and exploring sunny Los Angeles with my friends and family. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata in the third grade and experienced periods of hair loss/regrowth throughout my life. In 2017, I lost 90% of my hair over six months and was bald for the first time. I had thought that was it for my hair (and it was for 2.5 years), but, surprisingly, it started to grow back in 2020. Today, my hair is hanging in for the time being, still with bald patches just as I’ve had the majority of my life. My eyebrows and eyelashes only have a few strands each, so I’ve become the master of the eyebrow pencils and liquid eyeliner (and am happy to teach!). From unsuccessful steroid injections, to nearly full re-growth, there have been many ups, downs, and difficult times in this journey. But if there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s that support and community can make all the difference (which is why I’m here!). I hope to be a friend and support to you and your family – whether that’s to listen, provide thoughts and/or advice, or just to join you for a couple hours of mindless fun. I hope to hear from you soon.