‘Buffy and ‘Bring It On’ Star Eliza Dushku Reveals Huge Life Update: ‘A Deep Calling Realized’

Nearly 10 years after she stepped away from acting, Eliza Dushku has traded walking red carpets for walking graduation stages.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, 44, recently revealed that she graduated with her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday, June 6.

“Graduating with my master’s degree (!!) feels like more than an achievement—it feels like a deep calling realized,” Dushku reflected on her journey alongside a video of herself walking across the stage with her diploma. “True growth, energy, and passion—manifested. After nearly a decade of inner work and building a new life, I’m so grateful for this moment in time.”

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Dushku went on to thank those who helped her along the way, including her “highest self—for taking this wild leap away from everything I knew and making it happen,” as well as her two sons – Philip Bourne, 5, and Bodan Boudie, 3, whom she shares with husband Peter Palandijan – “for the little sacrifices made & love you gave, each day to honor and support this dream. And to my family, friends—new and old—my colleagues/classmates, professors/teachers, and community, I give thanks: for rooting me on, encouraging me day in and day out, and affording me the grace, strength, and space to step fully into these past years of clinical training.”

Now with her degree in hand, Dushku said she stands “grounded and ready to support others on their journeys of becoming—through self-discovery, healing, and transformation. The connectedness I feel in holding safe, compassionate space for those who seek the undertaking is such lifeblood now. To possibility. hope, and healing, all.”

Dushku rose to fame playing Faith in the hit supernatural series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She starred in the series for three seasons from 1998 until 2003, during which time she also starred as Missy in the 2000 comedy Bring It On. She also had lead roles in the Fox dramas Tru Calling and Dollhouse, and appeared in other shows like That ‘70s Show, Ugly Betty, and The Big Bang Theory.

Following her last acting credits in 2017 – the CBS legal drama Bull and the film The Saint – Dushku retired from acting. In an interview with Boston Magazine in 2024, Dushku opened up about stepping away from Hollywood and pursing psychedelic therapy.

“I had the means to shift directions and choose a course in my life that focused on healing myself so that I could help heal others. I would be remiss if I didn’t now share the transformation and the peace and the passion that I have,” she said. “This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose.”

Dushku obtained her master’s degree nearly four years after first revealing in September 2020 that she’d graduated with her bachelor’s degree in holistic psychology.