Today, I clean out my desk, leaving one great place for another.

Stanford offered me a full-tuition scholarship. Some things you don’t refuse.

With that in mind, I’ll switch my focus from reporting to earning a master’s degree in journalism.

I haven’t been to school in seven years. It’s a little strange going back.

I landed my first full-time reporting gig in 2006, working at the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter when it was still under the shadow of the King County Journal.

I remember a publisher by the name of Catherine Shen who challenged the Reporter Newspapers editorial team to experiment more with writing. The papers are free, she said. Who’s to complain?

Work has felt more fun since then. I love a bit of freedom in my professional life.

We’ve lost none of that spirit since Black Press took over Reporter Newspapers and merged it with Sound Publishing.

This is a company that gives its workers lots of room to experiment, and plenty of tools to do it with. That means everything to young reporters.

The company also deserves credit for its visionary partnership with SeattlePI.com, and for having the foresight to know that breaking local news online is just as important as printing newspapers when it comes to community journalism.

In many ways, I’ve already gained a free education. Sound Publishing is where I learned to blog, shoot photos, produce videos, create slideshows, and Tweet.

How much does it cost these days for a new-media class?

Of course, it’s tough to get anywhere in this business without good editors, and I’ve had my share.

Craig Groshart is a rare breed, having the wisdom of an old-school daily guy while embracing all the latest media trends. He pushes his crews be first online, and applauds all their dabbling with new media tools.

Andy Nystrom is a jack-of-all-trades editor from the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter who backed me whenever my work ruffled feathers at City Hall. We bonded over Henry Rollins and The Replacements.

Outside this company, I’ll never forget Jeff Bond, a fun-loving editor from Seattle Business Monthly who told me to be fearless no matter who I meet as a reporter. Work has been a little more fun since then, too.

Beth Luce is a former editor of Northwest Meetings & Events. She trusted me with a cover story when I was just an intern for the magazine. She’s also one of the most encouraging people I’ve met.

Sources are crucial, too. Some I quoted. Others remain off-the-record. I’m thankful to all those who trusted me or fed me valuable leads.

It’s hard to deny that there’s a certain magic to the Bellevue Reporter. Just look at what the people here have done.

One of our high-school interns, Changlin Li, was accepted to Harvard last spring. College intern Tatevik Aprikyan left our team recently for the Late Show with David Letterman.

Staff writer Lindsay Larin picked up her first reporting awards this year and helped launch The Scene magazine, becoming editor of the publication.

Joel Willits and Chad Coleman have lots of glassy first-place journalism awards on their desks. I’ve worked with some very skilled people in this business, but none match those guys at what they do.

Somehow, the editorial minions at this paper persuaded the company brass to fly Joel and Chad to Katy, Texas for a football game last year. Our sales team covered the cost by selling ads to Bellevue High sports fans.

That says a lot about this paper, its staff, and all you readers out there.

In parting, I hope I supported and inspired my co-workers as much as they did those things for me. I hope I served my readers well. And I hope I learn as much at Stanford as I did through this best of all jobs.