Find A Youth Mentor

"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.

Hello, my name is Miranda Spurr. I am a 24 year young, a mother and wife. I recently became more involved with the National Alopecia Areata Foundation to not only help others, but to help myself. I have had hair loss since 7th grade. It started as small bald patches that would always grow back. Over the years, the spots connected and the hair loss increased rapidly to the point of spreading all over. Now I am somewhere in between Totalis and Universalis. I am so happy to have this opportunity to meet others like myself and guide each other to personal growth. My passions are music, art, reading, writing, painting, nature, cooking, traveling, running, fashion, environmental conservation, philosophy, astronomy, photography, etc!!! I look forward to this experience and hope that we all can work together to make a positive difference in the world.

Hi, I’m Kayla! I'm from a tiny town in Central Pennsylvania called Roaring Spring, it's about 20 minutes from Altoona, Pennsylvania. I have a Bachelor of Science in Early Level Education and absolutely love children! I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 9 years old. From age 9 to 14 I would find maybe 3-4 bald patches every other year and in the off years my hair would grow back. Then my alopecia was in remission for around 5 years but resurfaced in 2018. This time I lost nearly all the hair on my head, so I decided to shave it. Since shaving my head and embracing the new me I’ve found the confidence that I never knew I had. I’m very outgoing and extremely talkative. I hope to help in any way possible, please reach out! I’m excited to meet you!

Hi! My name is Stephanie Yuen and I’m from Marlboro, NJ. I am currently a high school senior. I lost my hair towards the end of 7th grade. It was a very scary and difficult time for my family and I. We did not know why my hair was falling out. I tried everything to grow it back—from medication, topical ointments, to acupuncture. I would see hair growth; however, my hair would fall out once I stopped a treatment. I was then referred to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, otherwise known as CHOP. I was diagnosed with Alopecia, more specifically, Alopecia Universalis, which is hair loss of the entire body. It was extremely difficult at first; I felt different from everybody else. I would question why I was the one to lose my hair. I was a teenager and I did not know how to handle losing my hair. I had a couple of patches left and I couldn’t cover them up with a powder anymore. Then, I decided to shave my head. It made me feel more free; however, seeing my parents cry made me extremely heartbroken. I am very fortunate to have a great support system in my life—my family, teachers, and friends. They have helped me build up my confidence to embrace my baldness in public. Now, I view Alopecia as a blessing. Without it, I would not have the confidence I have today to go and try new things, be involved in my school and community, and meet all the wonderful people in my life. I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!

Hello, my name is Nicolas Srut, and my Alopecia Universalis is my favorite thing about myself! I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata at 8 years old, and from that moment on, my life was never the same. In school, I was bullied frequently, but soon learned how to overcome the opinions of others and shine brightly with my Alopecia. The lessons that having Alopecia has taught me about my own character are irreplaceable, and they have made me into the person I am today. I am a recent high school graduate, finished at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA, was President of the National Honor Society, President of the Court of Magicians, Treasurer of the Thespian Society, and directed a record-breaking UIL One-Act competition play (yes, all at the same time!). I would not have been able to do those things had I not learned to be confident in myself from the struggles Alopecia initially gave me, thus, I am ever grateful for it. Alopecia can be a very beautiful thing, and I want everybody else to see it that way. I have been through quite a journey in my experience with Alopecia, went through lots of ups and downs to make me into who I am today, and I would love to be the mentor to a beautiful mentee and be a positive impact in their journey with Alopecia.

Hi! My name is Lauren. I’m 27 years old and live in the Lansing, MI area. I’m a full time Web Designer, and went to school at Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. I love art; am a photographer in my free time, and I grew up riding horses (I love all animals!). Recently, I’ve taken up meditation and yoga to help deal with anxieties that Alopecia can cause. I’ve pretty much had Alopecia Areata my whole life. The only time I had a full head of hair was when I was born. Around the age of 3, I had no hair on my head, but eventually ended up with patches of hair. I struggled a lot when I was younger, especially when I was in middle school. My mom would try to help me hide my spots using a variety of methods before school every morning, but kids started to figure out that I was hiding something under my bandana or fake pony-tail. The bullying got so bad that I developed PTSD, and became a very depressed and anxious person. To this day, I wish I had someone to talk to and relate to while I was going through these struggles. That is why I am volunteering as a mentor for NAAF: so that I can be the support I wish I had, for someone else who struggles with Alopecia Areata. After moving out and living on my own, I started to figure out that Alopecia should not define my life. I met many wonderful people who have taught me that it’s nothing to be ashamed of, including a wonderful guy who loves me and all my flaws. I started seeing life in a different light, and that things weren’t as bleak as they once seemed. I’ve learned to look past the negative and dark things to truly appreciate the positive things in life, and to be thankful for the life I was given. Even though it’s been a struggle having Alopecia, I feel like it has shaped me into being a wiser and more compassionate person, and I wouldn’t change any of that if I could!

Hi everyone! My name is Scott Weitman and I am a 16 year old junior at Yorktown High School in Westchester County, NY. I was diagnosed with alopecia just before my 4th birthday and my journey has been somewhat of a roller coaster. From kindergarten to middle school, my hair fell out and grew back in cycles. It wasn’t until 6th grade that it all fell out and did not grow back for almost 5 years. I have experienced it all; alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis. Now at 16, after being bald for 5 years, my hair and my eyebrows have grown back but I am still missing my eyelashes. My family and I have learned that the more we educate our family, friends, and community, the easier it is for me. I also found it valuable to meet other children and adults with alopecia. I traveled to meet Charlie Villanueva at his Charlie’s Angels events, attended several NAAF conferences, and I traveled over 600 miles to meet Ryan Shazier. All these experiences have helped me in my journey to becoming the confident teenager that I am today. Some things that I enjoy doing include watching and playing sports. I currently play Varsity Baseball and Varsity Soccer at my high school. I am a pitcher for the baseball team and a goalie for the soccer team. I love watching football every Sunday and I am a huge Steelers fan. In addition, I play basketball and coach a basketball team for 5th and 6th graders. I also love to play video games especially NBA 2K ‘19. In the winter, I love to go skiing. Growing up with alopecia has taught me how to take adversity and turn it into the opportunity to help others. Even though I have alopecia, alopecia does not have me.

Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, I am the middle child of 5 kids (4 girls and 1 boy). I started losing my hair when I was around 8 years old. No one in my family had experienced hair loss like this before, so I remember going to doctors to figure out what was going on. We tried lots of different treatments, but nothing seemed to be helping. I remember the embarrassment, shame, sadness, and anxiety I felt whenever going out in public or having people in my own home. At times, I felt like no one could ever love me looking the way I did. I experienced bullying at school and was often asked if I had cancer. I was afraid to wear a hat to school, as I did not want to draw attention to myself. I was afraid to go into a pool and get my hair wet, as it made my bald spots show even more. Overall, Alopecia made me afraid of many things. From these experiences, I decided I wanted to spend my life helping children and adolescents that experience anxiety and sadness. Now living in Connecticut, I am currently living that dream as a Licensed Professional Counselor (basically a therapist), working with people of all ages (mostly kids) that struggle with this stuff. On my free time, I love spending time with my 4-year-old identical twin boys, Louis & Luca, going to the beach, doing arts and crafts, trying new foods, listening to music, and laughing as much as possible! When I signed up for this program, I could only think about how my life may have been different if I had someone growing up going through the same thing as me. I hope to provide that for you. From my view, things do not seem as scary when we don’t have to go through them alone. Please reach out with any questions. I look forward to connecting with you!