Hi, my name is Alexa Kitaygorodsky and the saying Memento Mori hits very close to home for me. February of 2018 I was a freshman in high school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when a gunman opened fire in my building right outside of my classroom. In that moment, I thought my short 14 years of life were coming to an end and I would never see my family again. Somehow, I got out of that building alive and was able to continue living my life, but now I was living it in a much different way. Before the shooting, I kept to myself and didn’t make an effort to live everyday like it was my last, but all of that changed. 

When my mom decided to create this brand I felt even more connected to her and to this phrase that I have been living my life by for the past 4 years. Although the shooting that I endured was the most horrifying situation I’ve ever been in, there were many positives that came out of it. I learned to live my life to the fullest and never let any opportunities pass me by. I also came to the realization that instead of worrying about the future or what has already happened, I need to live in the moment and not let myself stay focused on things I cannot control.

To me, Memento Mori means enjoying my life as it comes and not taking anything for granted. I went through possibly the worst thing someone could go through, but it truly changed my outlook on life. I am very grateful to my mom and my dad for instilling this concept in me, and I could not be more thankful for the life I now live. Once I came to the realization that I made it out of my high school alive that day, and 17 others did not, I knew I needed to change my life. It sounds cliché but I really did turn an awful situation around and make it something great. Tell your parents you love them, hug the people you are closest to and take every opportunity you can. “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think”…. - Marcus Aurelius.