The Evolution of the Square: Celebrating Inventio's 10th Anniversary 

In the ten years since its inception, Inventio has come a long way in its journey to showcase the exemplary writing of Catholic University students. Since the beginning, the journal’s pursuits have resulted in the publication of research from Theology, Philosophy, English, History, and a multitude of other fields, and each year’s Student Editorial Board works hard and dedicates immense time to see this printed journal come to fruition.

The 10th Anniversary calls for a moment of reflection to consider how much the journal has grown from the seeds planted by the first Editor-in-Chief, Mallory Nygard, who graduated from CUA with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and minors in Theology and Philosophy in 2016. She earned her Masters of Library Science at Indiana University in 2019, and she now works as the Director of Library and Information Services at St. John Neumann Catholic School in Knoxville, TN, while completing her Masters of Teaching program at Trevecca Nazarene University. 

Nygard explains that Inventio was inspired by “a desire for a place where undergraduate students could share their research with their peers.” They wanted to not only celebrate students’ work but also “to elevate it beyond merely an assignment to be completed for a class.” They hoped to brush the dust off the writing students tuck away once they’re done with a semester and to shine a light upon all the hard work of CUA’s students that often goes unrecognized. Furthermore, to be published as an undergraduate is not only an incredible feat and a testament to one’s scholarly dedication, but also a stepping stone to engaging with research at a more advanced level later on. The diversity of research reflects another goal of the founders “to connect students from a wide variety of disciplines, balancing individual expertise with building a community of writers and researchers.” This sharing of ideas and discoveries rests at the very core of the journal, and it is clear that Inventio seeks to amplify the university’s writing and research culture through its print and online publications. 

Nygard’s proudest accomplishment remains the publication of the very first issue, for which she is “immensely grateful to Dr. Taryn Okuma for her leadership.” The decisions for this initial issue would pave the way for many incredible issues to follow, which is something Nygard and her fellow staff members kept in mind throughout their work. Since most of the original Student Editorial Board were seniors, one of their goals was to set up the journal for future staff to grow in their own time. She shares, “During that first year, we were acutely aware that while we were setting things up, new students would change and adjust Inventio as they needed to better reflect the current CUA students.” This sentiment reflects the idea of this journal as a living publication that will expand and evolve along with its students, something evident within its cover art. Nygard pitched the idea to use a square for the logo so it works “not only as a metaphor for connecting students across disciplines and thinking outside the box, but also as a starting point for later issues to redesign or re-imagine while maintaining a sense of cohesion.” Even as the journal has grown, it has stayed connected to its roots and original vision all the way up to the present day.

Current Editor-in-Chief, Trinity Ruiz, who is a senior Philosophy Pre-Law major with minors in English and Theology, has been on the staff for three years. As Editor-in-Chief, Ruiz is in charge of many things, including overseeing each editorial board member in their responsibilities, upholding deadlines and expectations while mentoring when necessary, as well as completing behind-the-scenes work to acquire publishing funds and contacting the printer company. “The journal has grown in the amount of staff members since my first year on the Student Editorial Board, especially in copyeditors, which is really helpful! Additionally, we have launched our sub-publication, Aspectus, that will begin next semester,” Ruiz said. 

While Ruiz is very pleased with how much Inventio has grown in the past few years; however, she hopes to continue staff recruiting and to expand toward more art and business majors on campus. “I think our SEB has an amazing gift of extracting practical talents, such as graphic design and marketing, from members who do not necessarily have an academic background in these fields, but I would love to bring in CUA students who are actively refining these skills in their major and would be willing to contribute to our journal,” Ruiz said. 

Ruiz sees Inventio as an integral to the CUA community because it provides students with an avenue for recognition of their research. “Students are honored for the time and effort devoted to discussions they are passionate about. Additionally, being a part of the SEB offers invaluable professional experience, which only increases career opportunities,” Ruiz said. 

 Through Inventio, Ruiz said she has been able to refine her academic and leadership skills and has shown her how to be a leader. “It has helped me guide other students through an organized schedule of tasks, which in turn reflected my own capabilities as a leader. I have gained confidence in public speaking, improved my copywriting skills, and have learned how to manage a team. These invaluable skills and hands-on leadership experience will help me in any work I perform in my future career,” said Ruiz. 

Ruiz and Nygard share a similar vision for the journal, which reflects what Nygard tells her current students today: “Research is not just an assignment to be completed, but something new meant to be shared.” During her time on the Inventio staff, Nygard had hoped for students, professors, and university leaders to see the value of encouraging student researchers. Ten years later, Nygard can see this vision come to fruition and says she is impressed with the decade's worth of issues Inventio has published. “We initially conceived of Inventio as a physical publication, but to see it grow to include online publications, a newsletter, and a social media presence reinforces our early goal of connecting undergraduate research and researchers beyond the walls of the classroom. I am honored to be a part of the history of Inventio, and I am looking forward to what comes next!”