What Shrek Can Teach Us About Becoming

With tremendous pride and hope for the future, Memorial University will award 3,000 degrees this spring to graduates from our Grenfell, St. John’s, Labrador and Marine Institute campuses.  

You might not expect a fairy tale—especially one that doesn’t go according to plan—to offer clarity in a moment as significant as convocation, but I re-watched Shrek earlier this month, and it does precisely that.  

At its core, Shrek is a story about identity, expectations and the courage it takes to live authentically. The protagonist’s journey matters not because it ends happily, but because it transforms him. He takes the archetypal hero’s path by leaving what’s familiar, entering uncertainty, forming imperfect relationships and returning changed. Not into someone else, but into a fuller version of himself.  

The Layers We Carry 

One of the most memorable ideas from the film is that “ogres are like onions — they have layers.” Graduates carry layers shaped by late nights, quiet sacrifices, triumphs, doubts, wrong turns and the pressure to fit someone else’s definition of success. 

Like Shrek, their experience demonstrates that real growth is messy; it happens through trial, reflection and resilience. And as graduates mark both an ending and a beginning, Memorial University’s motto — Launch forth into the deep — offers both grounding and a challenge. It reminds us that becoming who we are is rarely linear and often uncomfortable, but always worth the effort. 

The motto calls us to courage in uncertainty. It acknowledges that the shore offers bearings and safety, but that meaningful lives are not lived tied to the dock.  

Leaving the Shore 

Across eras, “the deep” has meant many things: post‑war recovery, navigating change, honouring Memorial’s origin story of service to Newfoundland and Labrador. Today, it reflects a world shaped by economic, social and technological disruption. Communities are asking how to care for aging populations, create opportunities for young people, welcome newcomers and strengthen mental health. Climate disruption, biodiversity loss and food security are no longer distant concerns. Artificial intelligence, automation and new forms of communication are reshaping how we work, learn and relate. 

Readiness 

After decades in post‑secondary education, I know this: Memorial’s graduates are ready to meet this moment. And they’re in good company because, frankly, we’re all standing in unfamiliar waters.  

Like our students and alumni, Memorial must meet the pressures, possibilities and uncertainty in front of us by evolving to become a stronger and more sustainable university — a process that demands humility, resolve and courage. For over 100 years, the faculty and staff at Memorial have prepared thousands of graduates to contribute, lead and adapt to a rapidly changing world. Together, we will continue to be inspired by our deep commitments to academic quality, research intensity, the student experience, our special obligation to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and sustainability. Thus, we will remain vibrant and viable.  

The Power of Community 

Shrek offers another quiet lesson: transformation happens in community. Relationships that begin awkwardly or out of necessity become meaningful through shared effort, trust and care. That is community at its best — and I hope each of our alumni found that at Memorial University.   

Real fulfillment rarely lives in the picture‑perfect ending of a fairy tale. It lives in choosing work that matters, relationships that challenge and support us, and paths that align with who we are becoming — onion layer by onion layer.  

Not safety but purpose. Not comfort but courage.  

Today’s graduates join more than 115,000 Memorial alumni making economic, social and cultural contributions across Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the world. 

Bluntly: the world does not need people who stay where it’s safe. It needs leaders and change-agents willing to venture outward with intelligence, compassion and resolve. 

The shore has served its purpose. It’s time to launch forth into the deep.