Systems Thinker

In the fall of 2018, I was selected to lead an initiative at my institution as part of our strategic plan. The mission of our initiative is to empower all members of our community to own Scripps’ legacy and become personally invested in the College’s reputation, and to strengthen the bonds between the College and its constituents to expand our community of enthusiastic ambassadors and benefactors. Although I am at the beginning stages of this experience, I have already learned so much. I have collaborated with a member of the College’s senior leadership staff to select a team for the initiative, and I have led our first two meetings in which we defined our initiative and delegated tasks for our first milestone.

Importance

This experience is important to me because it signifies the next stepping point in my career. I am leading a team of people outside of my office, including staff members who have experience in higher education than I do. I am collaborating with a senior leadership staff member and learning how to balance when I need to take initiative and when I need to ask for help. This experience has strengthened my ability to be a systems thinker, as I am able to see how different parts and constituents of our organization – student, faculty, staff, alumnae, etc. – relate to the whole. I also think about the purpose of our initiative, how we can implement organizational change, and what the implication of such change will be.

Skills Gained:

  • Strategic awareness
  • Team building
  • Understands the interconnectedness of an institution’s parts
  • Active listening while leading a meeting
  • Ability to identify and define challenges

Impact

This initiative has allowed me to strengthen my ability to be a systems thinker. Part of being a systems thinker is the ability to perceive myself as part of the education system and see how different aspects connect together. In the course, “Education Law, Policy, and Finance”, I explored the practice of race-conscious admissions programs and presented what I learned in class to my colleagues. I also learned about the relationship between socioeconomic status and the college admissions process in the course, “Demographics of Higher Education”. The project linked below demonstrates my ability as a systems thinker as I examined this issue through a multi-layered context of oppression, specifically how oppression operates and is maintained on micro, meso, and macro levels.

Work Samples