The Past Meets the Future

Inventio published its inaugural Volume 1 journal in 2015. Over ten years later, with numerous students passing through the ranks of the Student Editorial Board, the journal remains strong, and the newest issue, Volume 11, stands as a testament to the academic vigor of the undergraduates at The Catholic University of America. These successful eleven years are the result of the hard work of talented authors and dedicated members of the various Student Editorial Boards. I had the great pleasure of speaking to two current members of the Student Editorial Board, Mia Beldner and Griffin Cappiello, to ask them about their experiences; to draw out the richness of the past and future of Inventio. 

Mia is graduating senior double-majoring in Politics and Psychology. She has served on the Student Editorial Board for the past three years, beginning her tenure during the spring semester of her sophomore year. During this time, she has witnessed firsthand significant growth for the journal. She even remarked that when a friend first recruited her to join the journal’s staff, she had no idea that Inventio even existed. Beginning with a staff of only about eight to now boasting sixteen individual students, Mia has been edified by the journal's continued growth. As a Student Editorial Board member, Mia always dedicated her time to promoting the journal and increasing its audience. Witnessing this growth coupled with the journal’s increasing commitment to professionalism has been in her own words “amazing to see.” 

Griffin was the young blood in our discussion. He is a rising junior studying Media and Communication Studies. Already, his own discipline coupled with Mia’s and my own (Philosophy and Theology) point to Inventio's ability to draw students from across campus to contribute. The journal’s humanist universality, now to be found among both its authors and Student Editorial Board Members, is something that Griffin will only increase with Aspectus, Inventio’s new online magazine. Griffin, who will succeed current Editor-in-Chief Isaac Krom next year, hopes that going forward, the journal will be able to draw excellent academic work from across campus in ways that have never before been possible. 

Griffin expresses his profound hope in Aspectus in these brief words: “I think it's a great way for students who maybe aren't writing the kind of big, long research papers that are, you know, taking a half of a semester's effort to create. But they're the smaller, smaller assignments that, you know, are more common on this campus. 
And I think it's a great opportunity for us to highlight that work, because it is great work, and it deserves to be celebrated. It deserves to be recorded.” 

Let Mia’s past and Griffin’s future in Inventio serve as a testament to their zeal for letting no exceptional work go un-recorded. All we must do now tremble with excitement and ready our Chicago style drafts for submission as we eagerly await for what Inventio has next!