Katarina Boskovic was born September 16, 2003. She was 18 years old, just weeks away from graduating, and planning to attend McGill University in the fall. On May 7, 2022, she tragically died in a terrible car crash just around the corner from her home in Longmeadow, MA.

The night after Kat died, there was a spontaneous vigil held at St. Mary’s Parish in Longmeadow. Every inch of the church was filled with people grieving and showing their support, and hundreds couldn’t even get inside. Members of LHS Lyrics sang on the steps outside. Dozens of people, even some who only knew Kat very casually, felt compelled to speak and share how she had touched their lives. People who knew her well knew that she was smart, funny, vivacious, kind, hard-working, thoughtful, inclusive, and incredibly charming, but it became apparent that her charm and kindness reached far outside her innermost circle. She was the person who noticed someone alone, or someone struggling, and would sidle up next to them to make them feel included, welcome, competent, seen, and important.  She was a beautiful runner and seemed to know just when the younger athletes needed a confidence boost. Later at her funeral, we heard from many that she said “I love you” freely to friends and family- for many it was the last thing she said to them because it was frequently how she ended a phone call or said good bye.  She was fiercely loyal to family and friends, and she treasured little things given to her like a dragon fly sketched on a post it note, a stuffed animal, a (soon broken) necklace, etc. Kat still had the dragonfly post-it note artwork (from six years earlier ) in her phone case the day she died. This is how the dragonfly became a symbol for Be Like Kat, Inc.

Be Like Kat, Inc. is a non-profit, 450c3 organization run entirely by volunteers, all are friends and family who loved Kat. It is our mission to carry her beautiful spirit forward and impact the world on her behalf. We believe the way we do that is to fuel a movement where we encourage and equip others to take actions to positively impact their communities.  We give money in scholarships to young people who exhibit qualities like Kat - hard work, kindness, perseverance, looking out for others. We also donate to other local groups whose work it is to raise people up and spread love. Every Friday after Thanksgiving we host a 5K Run/Walk called Run Like Kat to remember Kat. Every May, the month we lost this amazing human, we spread a “purple wave” of lights, flowers, ribbons, to honor her beautiful soul - purple was her favorite color. We hope you can join us — help a friend, help a stranger, welcome others, work hard but have fun, raise people up, tell someone you love them, spread the purple wave, Be Kind, Run Like Kat, Be Like Kat.