Global Business Management Students Advance to Oxford in Map the System Competition

HLOs:

April 2025 marked a milestone for Global Business Management (GBM) students, as they made an impressive showing at this year’s Map the System (MTS) competition, an international challenge that encourages students to explore complex social and environmental issues through systems thinking.

Out of 124 teams at Humber, the top five included multiple GBM student-led projects, with one team advancing to the national stage in Banff. There, Yangshu (Kelly) Jiang and Maharshi Trivedi, placed in the top 3 across Canada. This remarkable achievement reflects both academic excellence and a deep commitment to social impact and has secured them a position in the Global competition later this summer.

“Map the System is like planting through hundreds of hours of work,” said Kelly Jiang. “Along the way, there is anxiety and pressure, but also selfless help from competitors, and the humility of incredible educators and mentors. Map the System is more than a project. It’s a key, unlocking my full potential and the path to the global academic community.”

Her teammate, Maharshi Trivedi, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the transformative nature of the experience.

“What started as just a field experience project became one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. Through Map the System, I discovered a whole new way of thinking, especially how to look at problems deeply using tools like the Iceberg Model and causal loops. Humber gave me the platform to explore, learn, and share my ideas. Winning at the Humber level and being selected among the top 3 teams across Canada felt truly rewarding. This journey taught me not just about systems, but also about the power of collaboration, the value of impact, and the importance of continuous growth.”

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Congratulations to our top 3 Humber teams:

• 1st Place: Myanmar’s Cyberslavery Crisis – Yangshu (Kelly) Jiang and Maharshi Trivedi (Faculty of Business – GBM)
• 2nd Place: The Cost of Corruption: How Graft Holds Kenya Back – Samuel Njoroge (Faculty of Business – GBM)
• 3rd Place: Brain Rot in the New Attention Economy Era – Vitor Nania and Igor Alves Popazoglo (Faculty of Business)

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Other GBM students also made their mark

Dorothy Letting, a two-time MTS participant, placed 5th this year with her project on educational accessibility for children with special needs in Kenya.

“MTS to me means freedom to rewrite the change I want to see in the system,” Dorothy shared. “It gave me the opportunity to be a voice of change. I had fun using tools like Kumu and Canva to create causal maps and iceberg models.”

Samuel Njoroge, another standout GBM student, placed 2nd at Humber with his project, “The Cost of Corruption: How Graft Holds Kenya Back.” A two-time MTS competitor, Samuel has consistently ranked in the top ten.

“Systems Thinking pushed me to think beyond the surface-level and into the heart of how real change happens,” he said. “Finishing 2nd in the Map the System competition wasn’t just an achievement, it was proof that systems thinking belongs at the center of education for students to be the change makers of tomorrow.”

Aman Sharma, representing VIA University College (Humber’s partner institution in Denmark), is also headed to Oxford. Reflecting on the journey, he shared, “This experience has been a powerful part of my academic and personal growth, and I’m very proud of what I achieved in this experience.”

Global Business Management was delighted to partner with Humber's Map the System Faculty to make this incredible learning opportunity available for learners as a part of their Field Experience course.

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