Carla Cruz wins CU 麻豆影院's inaugural Map the System competition, will compete in Global Final at Oxford
Carla Cruz, a junior majoring in integrative physiology,听won CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 inaugural competition for her research on improving diabetes management in Latinx听populations throughout the U.S.
Map the System invites students to look deeper into the complex social and environmental problems found in the modern world, using "systems thinking." Organized by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University, this competition offers CU 麻豆影院 students the opportunity to compete first at a campus level and鈥攊f they win their university听competition鈥攁 global level.
Cruz had never been introduced to systems thinking prior to competing. "It really challenged me to step back, take a broader perspective and see the entirety of the systems at work that cause health disparities across the U.S.," she said. "So many global issues have multiple players involved and are very complex and multifaceted, but systems thinking introduces an efficient way to 鈥渕ap out the system鈥 and identify the greatest areas of opportunity to make a change."
Cruz first heard about the Map the System competition in a sociology course she took titled Suffering and Care in Society.听While most classes require students to write a traditional research paper,听in this class she was able to pursue a project that she was passionate about and that prepared her for the Map the System contest.
"I wanted to focus on social factors that affect a person鈥檚 health,听such as living conditions, access to healthy food, level of health literacy and so on," said Cruz.听"Many underserved communities throughout the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, asthma and more, so I wanted to better understand why and come up with impactful solutions."
Winning the competition was "incredibly rewarding and motivating" for Cruz, who听wants to continue听advocating for these underserved communities and create a more equitable health system for all.听听
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cruz will be competing virtually in Map the System's Global Final in early June.
"Ms. Cruz and other competitors听stepped up to the challenge and participated in the event despite the disruption of COVID-19," said Don Grant, CU 麻豆影院's Map the System organizer, professor of sociology听and director of the Social Innovation Program.听"Their resilience is a testament to the fact that CU 麻豆影院 students are determined to change the world."