Sitting down to write these 1,000 word tirades has never been something I've looked forward to. This one is no exception.

To be honest, it makes me mildly uncomfortable to talk about myself, my thoughts and my friends in paragraph after paragraph.

I have a sneaking suspicion the student body doesn't really care about my winter break, my thoughts on Valentine's Day or my strong opposition to the sheer volume of people present at Bell Tower on any given weekday at noon.

That said, I am going to apologize ahead of time for failing to entertain Miami Student readers with witty recounts of my weekend (and lately, weekday) escapades uptown.

Because in reality, the only thing that has been on my mind in recent weeks is The Miami Student and the wonderful people who I spend my days and nights with in the newsroom.

Yes. This is going to be the cheesiest 1,000 words to grace this page in a long time. But I am totally OK with that.

I think the reason I find myself getting so sentimental (and feeling the need to bore a lot of people who do not care about my sentimental-ness) is because, as the month of February dictates, staff turnover at The Miami Student is upon us and with that phenomenon comes the inevitability that it is time for some of my closest friends to leave the newsroom and discover the life that exists outside of 17 MacMillan Hall.

Admittedly, change has never been something I particularly enjoy. But what makes this change different is that it comes as an early reminder that our college experience only lasts for so long. I have spent the last semester in the newsroom with a group of people who have become like a family to me in a place that truly feels like home.

With the recent addition of a futon complete with throw pillows, the newsroom feels more like a living room than an office.

More important than the space (and its prime location with easy access to multiple dining locations when the need for caffeine takes over at 1 a.m.) are the people that fill it.

Like the family and friends I left behind when I came to college, The Miami Student staff has shared my happiness, frustrations and stress along with adding to most of my good times.

When I look back on these four years, I know that The Miami Student and the friends it gave me will be among my fondest memories.

And so, while I am anxiously anticipating another full year on the staff of The Student, the good times that are yet to come and the wealth of journalistic experience I am yet to gain, I am simultaneously sad at the people who are leaving me to enter the real world.

I'll miss the creative flare of the features team, Vanessa Schutz and Lindsay Weinberg. I hope that the next pair will be able to generate headlines as imaginative as "The Recycling Bin is in."

When JD Malone leaves The Miami Student for the world of sports journalism, who will we count on for knowledge from someone who's wise beyond our years? And who will hide away in the private office that our beloved Chris Dierks left behind?

Things won't be the same without Chris Gardner, who keeps all of the best story ideas locked tightly away inside his head, hidden under his red baseball hat.

Steve Markley's inappropriateness will not easily be replicated (which may be something to be thankful for). And, I know few other guys willing to ride in a silver VW Bug with two girls blasting sappy love songs. But with Markley gone, maybe the pressure to write these perspectives will disappear as well.

With Shannon Hinegardner off fulfilling her dreams of law school on the east coast, who will spend until 2 a.m. in the office composing a list of all the things a boy should never wear? (In case you were wondering, jean shorts top that list).

And the there's Allison Kolodziej or Big Al as we call her, our trusty editor-in-chief who I can always count on for friendship, support, advice and a coffee break.

So, I have delivered just what I promised - a sentimental, semi-unnecessary farewell to those who will resign their posts at The Miami Student in a few weeks and a corny thank you to the people who have showed me what it is like to be a part of the best team I could have ever imagined.