If you are interested in competing in the future, please fill out our interest form. Contact Keira Wilson for more information about Map the System and how you can get involved.
Map the System is at global competition, where student teams investigate a complex problem they care about and analyze the broader systems behind it. Participants explore root causes, power dynamics, incentives, and historical context to better understand how we can leverage our actions into meaningful change. All Johns Hopkins University students are eligible to compete.
“Seeking to understand systems requires more than just technical know-how and mapping skills; it also requires heart and a connection to our own and others’ humanity.”
The Map the System competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at Johns Hopkins University. No experience in systems mapping is necessary. Individuals outside the Hopkins community are also eligible to join a team. However, all teams in the competition must comprise at least one Johns Hopkins student or recent graduate and have a maximum of five active team members.
The Systems Learning Program is required for all competition-bound students. Completing this program earns an Oxford-issued credential and prepares you for the Map the System competition.
The Oxford Systems Learning Program offers a 6 Modules for foundational understanding and competition preparation.
Module 1-Understanding complex social problems
Module 2-Taking a systems approach
Module 3-Methods for learning about systems
Module 4-Mapping depth and power
Module 5-Stakeholder mapping and causal loop diagrams
Employers and Experts are invited to share their insights from the field by offering competitive student teams an opportunity to tap into professionals. Employers provide students with real-world perspectives, offer current challenges to the topic and enrich their understanding of complex issues and guide them towards innovative solutions.
Employers engaged in MTS JHU offer 2 phone conversations with a team, sharing perspectives. JHU offers access to a select team of students, and invitation to the JHU Competition and recognition as a Map the Systems Innovative Employer at JHU.
We appreciate our employer volunteers for their time and expertise in the Spring 2025 JHU Map The System. Your valuable contributions enhance our students’ projects and help shape the next generation of changemakers. Thank you for your support!
Map the System is run by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in partnership with educational institutions worldwide who each run the competition at their institution. On the Oxford site, you will find winning submissions from previous Global Finals, a list of past judges, FAQs, and much more.
Rickie Eatherly (she/her) is a Life Design Educator serving students in Psychology and Brain Sciences. Rickie attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill for her undergraduate degree in business administration and dramatic art.
Rickie began career as a recruiter for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and later transitioned to the world of qualitative market research. There she conducted interviews, analyzing research panels, and facilitating focus groups as an analyst for the research firm Smarty Pants. Rickie recently completed her master’s degree in Communication at Johns Hopkins. Rickie has successfully utilized the tenets of Life Design to navigate her personal and professional journey for over 6 years and is excited to help others do so as well!
Hope (she/her) is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience Program, a role she has held for more than half of her tenure at Johns Hopkins University. She is deeply passionate about working with undergraduates, finding immense joy in supporting their academic journeys and celebrating their achievements.
With nearly 20 years at Johns Hopkins, Hope has built a diverse career supporting students at all levels, including undergraduates, graduates, and resident fellows. Her experience spans multiple areas, including the School of Medicine, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Office of Academic Support, and the Neuroscience Program.
Megan (she/her) is a technical advisor & director working in global sexual and reproductive health at Jhpiego. In her work, she uses strategic foresight, systems thinking, and design to provide strategy leadership, particularly to introduce new & underutilized contraceptives in LMICs.
Megan holds a MPH in Women’s and Reproductive Health, a BA in Peace Studies, and is currently a part-time MDes candidate in Strategic Foresight and Innovation.
Katrina (she/her) is a technical advisor in applied design working in global public health at Jhpiego. She uses participatory and interactive methods to work with complex challenges, identifying as a design researcher and strategist, with expertise in systemic, social and behavioral change. Katrina has co-founded multiple social ventures include a feminist design and evaluation studio called Picture Impact and a platform to democratize technical expertise in sustainability and circularity called be Waste Wise.
She is a part-time lecturer in the Masters in Engineering, Sustainability and Health program at University of San Diego where she teaches a course around the social, environmental, and economic dilemmas in waste, exploring the realities of getting to zero waste.
Cozette is a Program Officer for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) with 6 years of experience working in the maternal and reproductive health sector. Through her work on CCP’s US-based initiatives, she facilitates human-centered design workshops, and assists in building programming from strategy to implementation for the B’more for Healthy Babies Initiative and UChoose Baltimore; she also provides knowledge management support for the Social and Behavior Change Activity in Uganda. She has led and provided technical guidance on social enterprise accelerators based domestically and globally. Her passions span across health communications, reproductive health disparities, and human centered design as a strategy to shifting health outcomes in Black and Brown communities. Cozette holds a B.S. in Public Health Sciences from Xavier University of Louisiana, and an MPH in International Health and Development from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
April Foiles is a teaching consultant, leadership coach, and learning scientist at Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, where she leads the Learning Innovation Team. April’s work focuses on empowering adult learners and supporting educators in creating impactful and inclusive learning experiences through human-centered learning environments, instructional design, process design, design thinking, agile management methods, and other innovative tools.
April leads workshops on effective teaming, leadership, improvisation, and storytelling. Her overall mission is to reduce suffering and increase well-being. She is committed to using creativity and analysis to shape the future of education with care and intention.
Hannah Ross is a Contract Negotiator working in Specialty Pharmaceutical Trade Relations at CVS Health. In her work Hanah is responsible for the development and implementation of contracting strategies with pharmaceutical manufacturers while owning ongoing external relationships and managing internal partners as it relates to her book of business.
Hannah attended Salem College for her undergraduate degree in business administration and economics.
Maggie Anixter (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently working in North Carolina. She has foundation in direct service and leadership, and is currently serving as the Executive Director for a network of outpatient therapy agencies across North Carolina, overseeing 11 centers dedicated to providing high-quality mental health services. She holds both undergraduate and Master of Social Work degrees from Appalachian State University.
Starting her career during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maggie worked with children and families, using a systems-based approach to create lasting tools for emotional well-being. With a focus on empowerment, systems theory, and a strengths-based perspective, Maggie has led initiatives to enhance services, manage providers, and expand mental health resources across North Carolina.
Avi Loeb (they/them) is a member of the Hire Hopkins team at Johns University under University Student services. They care the the first point of contact for forging connections with Hopkins employer partners. They spearhead employer development, marketing initiatives, and reporting to ensure we build strong partnerships that support student employment opportunities.
They have a background in marketing, having worked with marketing agencies, software companies, and nonprofits. They possess a strong background in project management, allowing them to effectively organize and execute across a diverse range of initiatives. In their free time, Avi enjoys baking and spending time with their two cats.
Keira is a full-time celebration enthusiast focusing on what makes us revel and how communities come together to thrive. She is the Sr. Assistant Director of Life Design at Johns Hopkins leveraging creative spaces futurist and feminist lens, host for The Dinner Party, navigating conversations on grief, and performer in Philadelphia’s Vaudevillian New Year Brigade. Bringing more than 14 years of experience in non-profits and higher education as a facilitator, career coach, and civic boundary spanner, she believes we learn who we are through a tenacious pursuit of self-knowledge, and the letting go of fear to offer our unique form of generosity. In the past she has worked for Grinnell College in service and social Innovation, Princeton University’s civic engagement, and with Friends General Conference expanding welcoming communities.
