Dr. Doris Taylor told Mississippi University for Women graduates Saturday learning should not stop once they complete their degrees.
“You all have specific degrees, but you know what? Your learning doesn’t stop where that degree ends,” the MUW alum and renowned scientist told approximately 330 graduates in Rent Auditorium. “You can learn about anything and everything. Learn a new skill, apply the skills you have in a new way and help somebody else.”
Taylor is the director of both regenerative medicine research and the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology at the Texas Heart Institute. Her team has created beating hearts using stem cells in laboratories.
“You have to get busy and you have to do something everyday,” she told the newest members of The Long Blue Line.
Taylor, who spent part of her youth in Columbus, graduated from MUW with a bachelors of science in biology and physical science in 1977. She received a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Texas. Her research has been credited with major breakthroughs in cell therapy, stem cell biology and tissue-engineering-based therapies.
On Saturday, she encouraged graduates to not let the learning stop here.
“I got to go to India a few years ago, when I was at the University of Minnesota, and I met Mother Teresa’s…cardiologist,” Taylor said. “You know, he didn’t start out to save the world, but because he watched Mother Teresa do what she did, he ended up building a hospital for kids with heart disease in India. And we got to go to India and help him, and teach him how to transplant stem cells in kids. Does it get any better than that? And I graduated from The W, you can make a difference in the world.”
She reminded graduates that making a difference can be a difficult process, but one they should not give up on.
“Do, re-do, work, stretch and fail until you succeed,” she said.
She spoke about her twin brother, who had cerebral palsy and schizophrenia, and the strange looks they would draw.
“Walking down the street with him was one of the proudest moments of my life, because, you know what, if you can walk down that street and be proud of your brother, you can do anything,” she said.
“So, show up early, stay late and figure out how to get what you need,” she said. “You know building a heart was important, but it wasn’t just about building a heart. It was about doing it right.”
Taylor shared her two mantras: One, give nature the tools and get out of the way — she said life should be simple. And two, trust your crazy ideas.
“Don’t be afraid,” she told the graduates. “You deserve so much better.”
“You’re going to spend more time at work than you do with your family,” Taylor said. “So find work that you love, that makes you passionate, and be the person that’s standing up here in 10 years, in 15 years, because you deserve it. Go change the world.”
Before conferring degrees to students, MUW President Jim Borsig presented Taylor with an honorary doctorate of science. An honorary doctorate is the school’s highest honor. Each public university in Mississippi can award two honorary doctorates per year. They must be pre-approved by the state board of higher learning.
“My mom wishes she were here right now,” Taylor said, bowing to receive her newest degree.
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