Experiences have a fundamental effect on learning, physically engaging in an activity allows you to connect your feelings to the real concept in question. When learning a topic relates to the student's internal experiences, it leaves a lasting impact. An impact so strong that it can lead to motivation and one's own initiative to make a difference. I felt this strong emotion when I attended the Walk to End Alzheimer's event on October 11 in Atlantic City. The reason I decided to walk to fulfill the requirements of my advocacy project was because I lost my grandmother to the disease a couple of years ago. My grandmother lived in Portugal and I could only see her every two years before she passed away. I didn't know much about the disease and only seeing it in the later stages of the disease couldn't really understand what was happening. I knew that taking part in this occasion would help me understand what had happened to her and do my part to create awareness for others like me. In this way I was able to deepen my understanding of Alzheimer's disease by integrating all the information I received from supporters of the march with my personal experiences with my grandmother. Additionally, attending this event significantly helped me create some sort of closure and acceptance of my grandmother's passing. It was extremely difficult at first because I was overwhelmed with grief. At first it was hard to be surrounded by discussion about the disease that took my grandmother away from me and my family. However, the turning point for me was when they handed out different colored pinwheel flowers that represented different things. I got a purple one due to the passing of my loved one and seeing like this... in the center of the paper ......I support the fight to put an end to this disease. In fact, another significant point during the walk was when we reached the halfway point, some passers-by asked us why we were walking. We told them that this event encourages awareness about Alzheimer's disease. They were so intrigued by this idea that they decided to go back too. Having the opportunity to help create this much-needed awareness has been amazing. My goal is to actively start fundraising and participating in local events. This assignment was much more than a project for me, I had this past experience that I didn't know how to explain but with the information I got from the walk it gave me the motivation to research even more. I didn't know how much I needed this closure with the passing of my grandmother, but now that I have it, I'm able to move forward and continue to make a difference by bringing awareness to Alzheimer's disease.