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Executive Director's Corner
Meet Alexander Kovarovic
A Note From the Founder
and Executive Director
Welcome, and thank you for being here.
The One Life Project was never meant to be just an organization. It began as a promise I made to myself during one of the darkest periods of my life: that if I survived, I would spend my life making sure other young people never felt as alone as I once did.
Today, serving as the Founder and Executive Director of The One Life Project is both an honor and a responsibility I carry deeply. This work is personal. It is rooted in lived experience, resilience, and a belief that every young person deserves to feel seen, supported, and valued long before they reach a breaking point.
This page exists to share updates about our work, reflect on our growth, and most importantly, to remind you that behind every program, partnership, and initiative is a human story. Including mine.
Sincerely, Alexander J. Kovarovic / Executive Director
Prevent. Educate. Advocate: Uniting for a Future Without Suicide.
My Story and Why This Work Exists
I founded The One Life Project as a young person who struggled quietly for years. As a child and teenager, I lived with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and deep self-esteem challenges. From the outside, I looked like many other students. Inside, I was fighting battles I didn’t yet have the language or confidence to explain. By my senior year of high school, that struggle reached a crisis point, resulting in a suicide attempt and a month-long stay in a mental health hospital.
Recovery was not linear. Healing took time, setbacks, reflection, and support. But that experience changed me forever. It showed me how early mental health struggles can begin, how invisible they often are, and how urgently young people need education, prevention, and connection before they reach crisis.
The One Life Project exists because of that reality.
Everything we do today is built around one central belief: mental health education and support should not begin at the breaking point. It should begin early, honestly, and with compassion.
Leading With Lived Experience
I don’t lead this organization from a distance.
I lead it as someone who understands what it feels like to sit in a classroom feeling overwhelmed, to struggle with identity and self-worth, and to believe you have to handle everything alone. That perspective shapes how we design programs, how we speak to young people, and how we define success.
Our work is not about quick fixes or empty slogans. It is about building sustainable systems of education, advocacy, and prevention that help young people grow stronger over time.
I am proud that the One Life Project remains youth-centered, ethically grounded, and deeply human at every level.
My Life Beyond the One Life Project
While leading the One Life Project is central to my life, it is not the only part of who I am. During the week, I work full-time as a Pre-K and early childhood educator at a daycare. Working directly with young children is one of my greatest passions. Being in classrooms, supporting emotional development, and helping children learn how to name feelings and build confidence reminds me every day why early mental health education matters.
I am also in my final semester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, completing my undergraduate work focused on youth mental health and child advocacy. In September 2026, I will be continuing my education at the graduate level to further deepen my knowledge and leadership in this field.
Outside of education and advocacy, I have a love for sports cars, racing culture, and Mustangs in particular. I currently own two, and they represent something important to me: growth, freedom, and the reminder that life can hold joy alongside responsibility.
These parts of my life keep me grounded. They help me lead with balance, empathy, and perspective.
Recognition, Growth,
and Gratitude
Over the years, The One Life Project has grown in ways I never imagined when it began.
We have expanded across multiple states, built a network of volunteer-run outreach centers, launched regional and executive leadership offices, and reached millions of young people through education, advocacy, and prevention-focused programming.
Any recognition or awards I receive belong to the volunteers, students, educators, partners, and supporters who show up every day with heart and intention. This organization exists because of collective effort, not individual achievement.
I remain deeply grateful for every person who believes in this mission and helps move it forward.
Looking Ahead
The future of The One Life Project is focused on sustainability, impact, and depth.
We are committed to strengthening our educational programs, expanding prevention-focused initiatives, supporting youth leadership, and ensuring that mental health conversations reach children earlier than ever before.
As we continue to grow, my promise remains the same: to lead with honesty, to protect the integrity of this work, and to never forget why it started.
If you are here reading this, you are part of that story.
Thank you for believing in young people. Thank you for believing in hope. And thank you for helping us prove, every day, that one life truly can make a difference.
With gratitude,
Alexander J. Kovarovic
Founder & Executive Director
The One Life Project
