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Eliza Dushku graduated with her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., on Friday, June 6.
Dushku, 44, shared a video of herself walking across the stage to collect her diploma on Instagram. She also shared photos of herself in her cap and gown alongside her husband Peter Palandjian and classmates, as well as another video of her two sons running up to congratulate her.
“Graduating with my master’s degree (!!) feels like more than an achievement—it feels like a deep calling realized. True growth, energy, and passion—manifested,” she wrote in the caption of the post, which also featured a photo of her young kids’ handwritten notes, which read “Good Job Mommy” and “I Love You Mom.”
The post continued, “After nearly a decade of inner work and building a new life, I’m so grateful for this moment in time. To my highest self—for taking this wild leap away from everything I knew and making it happen 🙌. To my boys + ♥️—for the little sacrifices made & love you gave, each day to honor and support this dream 🙏.”
She went on to elaborat on the support she received from her community regarding her education journey: “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.”
Dushku continued, “Today, I stand 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.”
She concluded the emotional milestone post with a Latin phrase, “Non sibi sed toti 🤍,” which translates to “not for themselves, but for all,” in reference to her career change and future goals of helping patients through their trauma.
Dushku previously opened up in a 2024 interview with Boston Magazine about her desire to retire from acting in favor of pursuing a career in psychedelic therapy.
Dushku, along with husband Palandjian, a former professional tennis player and Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. CEO, told Boston Magazine at the time that they are also funding research and clinical trials into the potential uses of psychedelics.
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“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,” Dushku said.
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“This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose,” she continued at the time.
The former actress most notably starred as Faith, a fellow vampire slayer who joined forces with Buffy Sommers to defeat the supernatural forces lurking below the fictional idyllic California town of Sunnydale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A factor in her decision to leave Hollywood was her experience of being sexually molested by one of Hollywood’s leading stunt coordinators when she was only 12 years old. In her interview with Boston, she revealed feeling “feeling so wholly unwell” from the past traumas of the assault while using psychedelics, which ultimately helped her process the past.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
