April 1, 2003. The first time I stepped foot in State College.

I was a 17-year-old kid who grew up surrounded by row homes and trees that were planted as part of the failed "Keep Philadelphia Beautiful" plan. So when I exited my mom's Hyundai Sonata in the Bryce Jordan Center parking lot, it was love at first sight. The majestic view of Mount Nittany -- which is now blocked by Medlar Field -- and the smell of air that wasn't contaminated by car exhaust drew me here.

That day is vividly burned into my memory. I can still remember the snowfall that occurred overnight, the chicken marsala that I ate at Mario and Luigi's, and my first experience getting lost at the Harrisburg interchange.

Yet getting lost, away from home, was something I wanted. As I was given the walking tour of campus, I was told how a Penn State education would help me grow up and become a well-rounded person. But, as I quickly found out, I learned a lot more about being an adult from the people I met by working at the Collegian than in any class.

During my first semester as a full staff member, I met two people that would teach me everything I've needed to cover Penn State sports -- men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik and the team's sports information director Jen Armson.

As I was going through my growing pains as a reporter, Jen and Pav never got frustrated or upset. They would simply point out something that they thought was inaccurate but would never be demeaning. The source relationship I built with them laid the foundation for all of my future interactions with Penn State athletes and coaches.

But it was during the summer of 2006 that I worked with the one person responsible for all of my achievements since.

Whether it was discussing my writing over a slice of pizza at Margarita's or tearing apart one of my many stories on former State College Spikes first baseman Mark Hamilton, Joshua John Moyer taught me how to write a strong lede and how to not litter my story with play-by-play.

While I may still frustrate Josh, he should know that I owe my summer internship in 2007 to his nit picking of my stories.

Josh, along with night editor Dan Winklebleck, challenged me to become a better writer, and even though I still struggle with some aspects of writing, I probably would not be writing this column right now if it weren't for their guidance.

Since becoming an editor, I've met too many good friends to name individually here, but each has helped me grow up more than any Penn State professor. They each know what they have done so there is no need to turn this into a long Sirage Yassin feature.

I couldn't end my goodbye to Penn State without mentioning the one person that got me through some personal hard times, including my struggle to transition to college academics -- my ex-roommate Brandon Paul. Brandon was my roommate fall of freshman year, and even though we butted heads early on, he became my best friend and still is to this day.

So after five long years and all of the relationships I've made and lost along way, it is time for me to finally bid adieu to a place that has become my home. The Collegian is a very special place that I will never forget and can never be equaled.

Mark Myers is a senior graduating with a degree in journalism and, as of 6:15 a.m. today, a former assistant Collegian sports editor. His e-mail is mcm291@psu.edu.