At just 18-years-old, Millie Bobby Brown wears a wide variety of hats — not only does she play the lead character Eleven in Stranger Things and has her own beauty company, but she also is enrolled as an online college student at Purdue University in Indiana (which, might I add, is totally a reference to Stranger Things).
In an interview with Allure, Brown revealed that she is studying human services, a program in which “you learn about the system and how to help young people.”
According to Purdue University’s website, the school’s human services major is for students “interested in working with people to help improve their life circumstances.” The coursework in the major helps “provide students with basic knowledge in human development and family studies, skills for working with people in service agencies, and program evaluation skills.”
Fans were excited to hear the news that Brown is attending Purdue University, considering that the university is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Stranger Things takes place in Hawkins, Indiana. In fact, in season three, one of the show’s actors is seen wearing a vintage Purdue shirt. Coincidence? I think not!
And if you know anything about Brown, her major perfectly aligns with her values — the actress has been vocal about wanting to use her platform to be a role model for other young adults. “Of course, people can look at it as pressure or scary, but I think that’s the most exciting part of my job,” Brown told Allure. “People are all looking at me, ‘What are you going to say, Millie?’ I’m going to say, ‘Young girls deserve an education. Young people everywhere deserve equal rights. [You] deserve to love the people that you want to love. Be the people that you want to be and achieve the dreams that you want to achieve.’ That’s my message.”
While it’s unknown whether Brown will pursue a career in human services instead of acting, the young star has been vocal about her struggles dealing with hate and harassment on social media and within her industry, telling Allure, “It’s really hard to be hated on when you don’t know who you are yet.” If Brown were to eventually quit acting and pursue a human services career, her choices would be vast — many post-grad human services majors become child protection workers, social services managers, and crisis specialists, to name a few.
Brown isn’t the only young Stranger Things cast member to attend college while also balancing acting. Noah Schnapp, Brown’s co-star and BFF, recently was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania and announced the news in a heartwarming TikTok video. In a tweet, Netflix even congratulated the 17-year-old actor. While it’s unclear what Schnapp will be studying, many presume he’ll be in the Wharton Business School, given the sweatshirt he’s wearing in the TikTok.
And though he hasn’t confirmed where, Caleb McLaughlin shared in 2019 with PEOPLE that he’s enrolled in college and was “pretty excited” about pursuing a higher education. Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, and Finn Wolfhard have not disclosed whether they will be attending college.
Good luck this school year, Millie!