Whether you know it or not, you've been a part of the best times of my life.

If you're reading this, you're probably either a Penn State student or some other member of the Penn State community.

That means you've helped shape this place for me, whether you knew me or not. Even if I never knew you personally, you helped make this place a second home for this kid from Tempe, Ariz.

Since I usually find senior goodbye columns very tedious, and I've probably only ever read three or four in the four years I've been at Penn State, I'm going to write about you, not me.

Greeting card sentiments and self-congratulation are not my style. Besides, I'm not a good enough writer to really pull that off.

So this isn't going to be about me. It's going to be about you. Because we've been through a lot, you and I.

You, the people of Penn State, have opened my eyes, and you deserve all the thanks.

I never had a snow day before I met you, Penn State. Thanks for showing me that snow angels, snowmen and snowball fights are still fun when you're 20 years old.

You showed me that NFL football is the most important thing in the world to some people. Eagles, Steelers, Jets, and Giants fans: your dedication to your teams is staggering. Fans of the Arizona Cardinals could learn a lot from all of you.

And thank you kids on a rope, you've brought joy and laughter to thousands of us. Keep up the good work.

Now, I love you Penn State, but I'll never understand your attraction to Ugg boots. I hope we can get over that together. I'll be here to support your decision if you want to find some new trendy footwear.

You've also shown me what it's like to have a new family, 2,000 miles away from the only home I'd ever known.

And just like parents who care too much and overprotect their kids, the Penn State administration has been there to look after me for four years.

I can't tell you how much it's meant to me to have the administration there to ban fun like camping too early for football games, drinking outside during football games or tailgating for anything but football games.

To all of you I haven't been able to personally meet, I'm sorry. I probably saw you once or twice while walking around campus, but you had your iPod on, so I didn't say anything. I'll bet you're pretty cool, and I would have liked to meet you.

To all of you I have met, thanks for being a part of Penn State for me. You've helped make the last four years the best time of my life. From freshman year to graduation, everyone I've known and

become close with has made being so far from where I came from such a great experience.

Thanks Penn State, if you're one of the very few people who've come to the end of this column without skipping straight to the latest Nittany Lion football player assault news.

Because, really, I could never have come this far without you, so thanks for coming to the end with me.

After graduation, I won't be able to see you as much as I'd like. Sure, I'll see you for some football games and maybe even a few homecomings, but it won't be the same.

So if you see me walking around campus over the next few weeks, say "hi". I'll be the guy wearing an old Arizona Diamondbacks hat, looking around and trying to soak up every last second I still have with you.