Journey of Discovery: Teegan Nordstrom and the Map the System Experience
Teegan Nordstrom
McGill University, Program Lead
“What I learned through Map the System is that complexity can actually be a beautiful thing – so long as you have the tools to tear down your assumptions and think differently about systems. ”
The young people of today are inheriting a global polycrisis. The good news is, there are tools at our disposal that can help us better understand complex global problems.
My journey with Map the System started in the midst of a global pandemic and at that time, it had become abundantly clear to me that the problems we face today rarely have easy solutions. I didn’t really know what systems thinking was – but I was determined to learn.
I completed a project in 2021 through North Dakota State University’s program, and enjoyed the process so much that I decided to take a crack at it again the following year in 2022. After an eye-opening collaboration between two Indigenous and two non-Indigenous women, my team was able to produce a project entitled Water is Life: Water Access on the Navajo Nation. Our project won 1st runner-up on the Global Stage and is one of my proudest achievements to this day. Not only did I learn in-depth about the water access crisis in America’s largest reservation, I also got to learn about the topics that other student teams had investigated - several of which I never even knew existed. To say Map the System broadened my horizons would be an understatement.
Following this experience, I wanted to bring Map the System to the university I was attending – McGill University. The transformation that students experience by going through this program is truly unique. I hoped to share this opportunity with McGill students and help them develop their critical thinking, communication, and research skills. This is what initially motivated me to pilot the program at McGill in 2023. Seeing the passion that emerged from these students is what made me decide to lead the program again in 2024!
The problems we face in this modern world can feel paralyzing in their complexity. What I learned through Map the System is that complexity can actually be a beautiful thing – so long as you have the tools to tear down your assumptions and think differently about systems.
My hope is that this program can reach as many passionate students as possible, because not only will it be a valuable stepping stone in their personal development, but it is also absolutely crucial if we wish to curate the next generation of systems leaders.
Teegan Nordstrom is a Research Assistant at Douglas Hospital and Program Lead of Map the System McGill. Find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/teegan-nordstrom-6b30901b4/
