\u201cTeenagers get a bad rap,\u201d says Sue Monajati \u201995 Reno. \u201cBut they have so much to say.\u201d That\u2019s one of the reasons Reno started Sightlines Media, a nonprofit that introduces high schoolers to the power of community- based journalism \u2014 something Reno experienced firsthand during her years as a newspaper photojournalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThrough images, I was telling the stories of interesting people locally \u2014 what was going on that you wouldn\u2019t otherwise see,\u201d she says of her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently a freelance photographer, Reno was inspired to work with teenagers when her twins joined the high school marching band. \u201cThe band members work extremely hard and have great attitudes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt made me appreciate high school kids and the phase of life they are in \u2014 so much change, so much learning and developing into young adults, finding their voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reno, who lives in Chester County, Pa., wanted to expand her work with teens and share her professional storytelling skills. \u201cRegardless of their eventual careers, student journalists \u2014 who look around and see what stories there are to tell \u2014 will benefit from the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sightlines Media\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The theme of the group\u2019s first magazine was \u201cPreserve.\u201d 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\u2019s Chinatown and their successful protest against building a sports arena adjacent to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A student also took photos at local land preserves: \u201cIt was a great way to practice photography in a low-pressure environment while creating some good visual content for the publication,\u201d says Reno, who fell in love with photography as a teen herself. \u201cI spent a lot of time in the darkroom during high school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After moving to California in 2000 with her husband, David, she took college photography courses and worked for a newspaper. As her family grew \u2014 including the twins, Katherine and Lana, 19, and son, Hayden, 14 \u2014 they moved to Pennsylvania, and she launched her own photography studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThroughout my career, I have taught photography classes and workshops to both kids and adults,\u201d says Reno. \u201cI love seeing students get excited when their photography improves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u201cA student in the program interviewed a local composer,\u201d says Reno. \u201c[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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to multiply that by 100,\u201d says Reno. \u201cI really want the students to hold a magazine and say, \u2018My work is in here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s Tennis All Decade Team, and earned several Patriot League individual titles.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reno started Sightlines Media, a nonprofit that introduces high schoolers to the power of community-based journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1272,"featured_media":25500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[354,40,375,433,1239,1292,91,484,345],"coauthors":[1825],"class_list":["post-24239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alumni-spotlights","category-alumni-updates","tag-alumni","tag-athletics","tag-education","tag-journalism","tag-nonprofit","tag-patriot-league","tag-photography","tag-storytelling","tag-tennis"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-6iX","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/IMG_5874rt-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1272"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24239"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26032,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24239\/revisions\/26032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24239"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}