Nicole Tassin

There I stood, 5 years old, staring in the mirror at a life changing event. My mom combed my hair and I watched every strand of it fall into the sink, but I was not fazed; I was so happy.

I grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, a small town, so I drew a lot of attention when I walked around hairless and fearless, but being bald never stopped me. As a child, I was a dancer, a gymnast, a competitive swimmer and, I later found out, an inspiration to everyone around me. Apparently I was the only one who did not know I was going to be in public relations when I grew up. I only saw myself as a normal child and, thankfully, so did my friends.

My family, God and Alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that affects the growth of hair follicles, are the three reasons I became the person I am today. Thanks to my family’s sarcasm, love and support, I am able to handle life with a good sense of humor. God has always been a huge part of my life, and I have a firm faith in Him. I thank God for having Alopecia and the people I met because it. Every summer since 1996 I attend the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) conference. Through NAAF I have made longtime friends, built self-confidence and positively influenced people, whether or not they have Alopecia.
When I entered high school at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, I had to run into new people, which meant new stares and comments, but I was still not affected. During my four years there, I was in various clubs and also a member of student council. I also participated in sports such as cross country, track, swimming and cheerleading. My senior year was the most important to me; I was president of the executive board of student council, a swim team captain, a cheerleader, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.

Outside of high school I was just as busy. I swam competitively for eight years and throughout past summers I coached a summer league team, lifeguarded at the local pool, taught swim lessons and volunteered at Vacation Bible School. In the summer of 2008 I worked as a camp counselor for NAAF along with my friends who have Alopecia.

Working with the high school newspaper felt like perfect practice for me because I was positive I wanted to major in journalism at LSU. My dream was to get an internship with a magazine in New York, but that dream quickly faded. Despite the fact that since I was 11, most people said I should do public relations for NAAF, I never considered it until my second semester in college. It seemed like everyone was telling me it was such an inspiration to see how confident and comfortable I was, and I found myself constantly talking to them about NAAF and God. One woman was so taken by my personality, she had me speak about my faith, confidence and beauty at a women’s day she coordinated.

Speaking at the women’s day made me realize how much I enjoyed being able to inform a large group of people; it was right and comfortable. That day I knew I wanted to major in mass communication and specialize in public relations.
Ironically, I have been working at a hair salon since I started LSU, but in 10 years I see myself doing public relations and fundraising for NAAF. I am currently working on a fundraiser I started called “Spare Change for Hair Change,” in which I am collecting spare change for one year, until July 2009, for the research funds of NAAF.