Name: Reinvented Magazine 
Location: Worldwide, HQ in Melbourne, Florida
Year Founded: 2019

Tell me about your launch story; how did your organization get started?

In 2018, recent college graduate, Caeley Looney realized the need for a magazine geared towards womxn in STEM. After receiving teen fashion magazines throughout high school and college, she began to lose interest and read less and less of their pages.  She was more interested in what was going on in the tech world than what was in style, but she still wanted to see that same female presence… And thus, the idea for Reinvented was born.

What challenges did you face, if any, while launching?

Honestly, launching this was horrifying.  We had this really motivated team and we had no clue if anyone but us wanted this.  When we started our crowdfunding campaign on Women You Should Fund, the first half of the campaign went painfully slow.  We weren’t bringing a lot of donations and we were getting really nervous, but after a post about our magazine ‘went viral’ we almost hit our goal overnight.  The next big hurdle was actually printing the magazine.  We had some amazing Staff Writers and Writing Directors and Creative Staff and Creative Directors to put the magazine together, but none of us had any knowledge of publishing to actually bring the magazine to life.  We struggled to find a printer that was able to be flexible with us on prices and was willing to hold our hand through our first few issues while we learned what it takes to make it in the world of printing magazines.

Tell me about its mission/goals and the primary populations you serve?

Reinvented Magazine is working to empower more womxn, ranging from middle school to college, to pursue careers in STEM fields. We have created the nation’s first print magazine for womxn in STEM by womxn in STEM, which features inspiring womxn in STEM role models and the latest tech news. In addition to the magazine, we also maintain an online blog and host a monthly virtual conference called STEAM Dreamers, where people can learn more about what it’s like to work in STEAM fields from our panelists and ask them their biggest STEM questions.  

What does your organization do best? 

Reinvented Magazine excels at providing accessible STEM resources to everyone and anyone. We do this through our One-for-One program – for every one magazine that is bought, one magazine is donated to a girl in a low income or underserved areas. Although we live in a digital world, Reinvented Magazine values the importance of providing our material in print, that way everyone has access to our content, including those that don’t have easy and consistent computer access. 

What are you working to improve?

Reinvented aims to build a support system and community full of inspiring and empowering womxn that will motivate the next generation of womxn to pursue careers in STEM fields. We understand that STEM fields are predominantly male, and through our magazine, our goal is to close the gender gap that characterizes these industries.

What does collaboration over competition mean to you? 

Collaboration over competition means that we work together to help bring members of the community up as a whole, rather than choosing to strive for individual success. If we all support each other in our individual endeavors we can grow as a whole. We also believe that it is important to serve as positive role models for others in the STEM industry and for younger generations who have sparked an interest in these areas. 

Final words of wisdom to all the young women out there who are strategizing to reach their education and career goals?

Go for it! We believe that you must take the first step, the first hop, the first leap in order to achieve success in the end. Even if a task seems daunting, try your best to get started. It’s always great to look for mentors and organizations to serve as a support structure to motivate and guide you. We recommend finding other womxn in the industry who you aspire to be like and look up to and use that as inspiration. If you’re struggling to find a role model, Reinvented Magazine is a great place to look! 

How can our readers reach you to get involved or learn more?

  • Follow us on Instagram @reinventedmagazine, Facebook at Reinvented Magazine, and twitter @reinventedmag. We post daily updates about Reinvented. 
  • Apply to be a guest writer for our online blog!
  • Attend or apply to speak at the STEAM DREAMERS Virtual Conference — a monthly virtual series where womxn in STEM share their experiences and insights.