This post was written by Hatchet news editor Allison Kowalski

At Thursday’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development doctoral recognition ceremony, speaker Carrie Morgridge walked up to the podium and placed a Transformers action figure in front of herself.

Morgridge, vice president of the Morgridge Family Foundation, told the seventy-two doctoral graduates that she hoped the toy would inspire them to become transformers, not reformers. Morgridge said the distinction between the two is that a reformer improves old work, while a transformer creates something completely new.

Here are her top five pieces of advice for how to do become a transformer.

1. Remember nobody can take your hard work away

Morgridge pointed to finishing her first Iron Man triathalon as an example of why the most important thing a graduate can do is to keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles they face. She talked about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you succeed, like her husband helped her wake up at 6 a.m. to train.

“As an Iron Man finisher, just like earning your doctorate, nobody can take that away from you. Ever. So if the market crashes, if a spouse changes, no matter what happens in your life, you are always going to be doctors, and I’m always going to be an Iron Man finisher,” she said.

2. Let people you don’t know inspire you

What helped Morgridge during a patch of exhaustion during her biking were some unexpected words of encouragement from a little girl in the crowd: “You got this.”

Though she didn’t know the young voice, the idea someone she had never met believing in her inspired her to push through the pain.

3. Don’t trust the averages

Morgridge said she wants to change statistics, and beat the averages. She said she believes that averages aren’t ultimatums.

At one school in Colorado she’s worked with, an average of about 80 percent of students can read, while the District’s average hovers around 30 percent.

“In life, as you’re going through things, things don’t always seem to be what they seem to be, and you have to dig a little deeper to get there,” she said.

4. Learn to take care of yourself

Though she acknowledged that graduating with a doctorate may ensure that they may not have an excessive amount of free time, Morgridge reminded students to take the time to consider their health.

She said long-term health will be the most rewarding and help keep them stay mentally sharp for the challenges that lie ahead.

5. Believe all students can learn

Repeating it twice for emphasis, Morgridge said graduates should always remember that “all students can learn.” As they continue on into positions in the field, she said she wants that to be their most important takeaway.

“This is so important for all parts of society to understand, but it is so true,” she said.