It was only my sixth day in 116 Stone Hall when the phone rang and I was forced to rethink the decision I made to attend Penn State.

My dad was on the other end of the line. "Trish, a coach from a smaller college left a message for you," my dad said. "He really wants you to consider transferring. They'll pay for your books and tuition, you'll have your own room and you'll play shortstop for them."

I hung up the phone, told Sarah -- the best random roommate I could have ever hoped for -- about the situation, and then I briefly thought about the whole idea. But it didn't take long for me to realize there was no better place for me than Penn State. Just minutes after hanging up, I phoned my dad and told him that in just six days I had already grown to love Happy Valley, and even my dream of playing intercollegiate sports couldn't pull me away.

Every time I looked out my window or walked out of my freshman dorm, which overlooked Nittany Lion Field, I was practically teased by the zinging of the metal bats connecting with softballs.

But I just kept in mind my life motto: everything happens for a reason. There was a reason that the first Penn State football game I attended was one of the most touching sporting events I have ever watched.

Before I even completed a college assignment, I had an overdose of the Penn State family and pride when Adam Taliaferro ran out of the tunnel before Penn State played Miami.

I could never leave that feeling behind, and four years later I'm still not ready to let go.

I've been engulfed in sports throughout my college career, mostly as a spectator. Supervising intramural sports and writing sports for The Daily Collegian was torture at times because I wanted to play so badly. Writing for the Collegian, though, has provided for some of the most memorable and beneficial experiences of my young journalistic career.

Sitting down with Taliaferro for a two-hour interview so I could write a biography for my English class taught me that miracles do happen. Taking sports writing with Mike Poorman (the most fun and beneficial class I've ever taken) and Soc 5 with Frank Clemente (one of the most inspirational people I've encountered) taught me that class is much more than notes and exams.

As a men's basketball writer, I worked with the likes of Bruce Weber and his No. 1-ranked Illinois team. And although Ed DeChellis and the Lions' seven-win season was rather disappointing, I witnessed the beginning of something. I covered Geary Claxton and this freshman class that will give Penn State fans a taste of March Madness.

I've been fortunate enough to be able to express my views in the Collegian -- particularly my hunger for a championship as a diehard Philly fan -- for all of you to read. And as a result, I received a World Series ball from Darren Daulton, signed by the entire 1993 Phillies team, because he enjoyed a column I wrote about those guys.

I hoped that my chances of winning a national championship would increase because I had so many Nittany Lion teams -- particularly the football team -- to root for.

Each time I'm in the 'Skeller and look at that 1994 undefeated team picture by the women's bathroom, I can't help but feel jealous and wonder what this campus would be like had our teams been more successful. But not many people can say they were in the student section when JoePa won 324 or when Larry Johnson rushed for 2,000 yards.

I witnessed one of the best defenses in the country keep an Indiana team out of the end zone after four plays on the 1-yard line. And I'll never forget the way Zack Mills took our senior class out with a thriller over Michigan State.

Although the teams I've covered haven't been successful, because the Tricia jinx is potent (I covered Smarty Jones before the Belmont Stakes and attended the Eagles game at which Terrell Owens got hurt) the athletes I've covered have taught me so much.

The makeup of a Division I athlete extends far beyond talent and performance.

My first summer on staff, writing a feature story on wide receiver Josh Hannum made me realize that there are more important things in life than football. That's why he later transferred from Penn State to be with his dad, who was suffering from kidney cancer.

While covering men's tennis, the fact that Clint Keithly graduated with honors in three years taught me that most athletes are all-around people. Gymnast Lisa Clark's return to gymnastics taught me that everyone deserves a second chance. Lacrosse goalie Mike Stoltz, who is bound to a hip replacement, taught me that determination takes you a long way.

Penn State guard Jamaal Tate's return to basketball after a battle with alcoholism taught me that the beauty in mistakes is the significance of the comeback.

Had I been playing softball at another college, I would have never found my second home here at Penn State and some of my good friends at the Collegian.

I would have never gained the experience that earned me an internship at Comcast sports last summer -- which fulfilled my lifelong dream of covering the Phillies -- and the confidence of knowing that so many Penn Staters who have come before me are who I aspire to be like someday. I would have never experienced Stone Hall, where I met my best friends and had incredibly wild times.

And I probably wouldn't be living this year with eight other girls who are like sisters to me.

I would have never experienced football weekends and the most elaborate tailgates, alumni-filled bars and the 108,000 friends I have on Saturdays.

I might not have learned that class and homework isn't the most important aspect of college. Rather, it's the people you meet, the impact you make, the fun you have and the person you've become that really means the most.

If I would have decided differently that afternoon, then maybe I wouldn't have such a hard time leaving the college I've grown to love.

But I also wouldn't have learned so much and experienced some of the best times of my life.