“Teenagers get a bad rap,” says Sue Monajati ’95 Reno. “But they have so much to say.” That’s one of the reasons Reno started Sightlines Media, a nonprofit that introduces high schoolers to the power of community- based journalism — something Reno experienced firsthand during her years as a newspaper photojournalist.
“Through images, I was telling the stories of interesting people locally — what was going on that you wouldn’t otherwise see,” she says of her work.
Currently a freelance photographer, Reno was inspired to work with teenagers when her twins joined the high school marching band. “The band members work extremely hard and have great attitudes,” she says.
“It made me appreciate high school kids and the phase of life they are in — so much change, so much learning and developing into young adults, finding their voice.”
Reno, who lives in Chester County, Pa., wanted to expand her work with teens and share her professional storytelling skills. “Regardless of their eventual careers, student journalists — who look around and see what stories there are to tell — will benefit from the experience.”
Sightlines Media’s first projects began in fall 2024, and in early 2025, the organization received official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Funded through individual donations, the nonprofit offers a series of workshops in person and virtually, and Reno works with participants on skills ranging from photography techniques to interview tips.
In January 2026, the group of five high school students published their first printed magazine featuring their own photography and stories they wrote about their community.
The theme of the group’s first magazine was “Preserve.” One student wrote a story about a family who turned an old barn into a museum showcasing the history of the natural ice trade. Two other students reported on the residents of Philadelphia’s Chinatown and their successful protest against building a sports arena adjacent to the neighborhood.
A student also took photos at local land preserves: “It was a great way to practice photography in a low-pressure environment while creating some good visual content for the publication,” says Reno, who fell in love with photography as a teen herself. “I spent a lot of time in the darkroom during high school.”
After moving to California in 2000 with her husband, David, she took college photography courses and worked for a newspaper. As her family grew — including the twins, Katherine and Lana, 19, and son, Hayden, 14 — they moved to Pennsylvania, and she launched her own photography studio.
“Throughout my career, I have taught photography classes and workshops to both kids and adults,” says Reno. “I love seeing students get excited when their photography improves.”
Despite the paperwork and determination required to get Sightlines Media off the ground, for Reno the payoff comes in watching students step into the role of journalist for the first time. “A student in the program interviewed a local composer,” says Reno. “[The student] was so excited. She had never talked to a professional musician before, and with the look on her face, all the challenges for me dissolved.
“I want to multiply that by 100,” says Reno. “I really want the students to hold a magazine and say, ‘My work is in here.’”
At Colgate Reno starred on the tennis court: She was the No. 1 singles player for her last three years, was named to the Patriot League Women’s Tennis All Decade Team, and earned several Patriot League individual titles.