Notes

A few years ago my family discovered that my grandfather had Alzheimer's disease. This news hit my family and my Mom especially hard, because it was difficult to see her father's memories and awareness fade. Being a young kid I did not understand the problem. I viewed it as something that did not concern me. As I grew older my mindset on the situation changed. I felt sympathy for him and felt like I was slowly losing him. During sophomore year I had the opportunity to help manage the Walk to End Alzheimer's event in Washington, DC. At first the idea of waking up early on a Saturday morning bothered me. My thought process was it was taking away from my day and my tendency to sleep in on the weekends. As my Mom and I took an Uber to the event, I realized the true importance of my task. I needed to put my selfish desires aside, and put my effort into changing someone's life. When I arrived I was given the task of registering participants for the walk and directing them to different booths. During my experience I was able to meet a lot of new people and learn about their purpose for coming to the walk. I felt surprisingly connected to each person, because I could relate to their experiences and emotions. The most important lesson I took from those conversations were that my actions have affects on others. In a world were we’ve become so disconnected we sometimes forget that our actions affect others. It’s so easy to forget that the smallest things in life can have a major impact on someone’s life. In conclusion the experience taught me humility. I had to learn to put my own wants after someone’s else’s needs. It was not an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing.