When I was eight years old, every day when I came home from school, I would park myself in front of the couch to watch Good Luck Charlie on Disney Channel. Along with Austin & Ally and Jessie, this was one of the shows that practically shaped my childhood and was always there for me when I needed it most. Throughout those years, my all-time favorite character was Teddy Duncan, played by none other than Bridgit Mendler. I looked up to Teddy, as she reminded me of my own older sister.
Like Teddy, she obviously wasn’t perfect, but I viewed her as such when I was eight. They’re both smart, driven, and give the best advice. When my sister was away at college, I looked to Teddy as kind of another older sister that I could watch and look to for guidance. At the end of the episodes when she would make her video diaries for Charlie, I felt like she was talking to me, giving me advice, and teaching me the ins and outs of life through her crazy but loving family. This had such an impact on my childhood and my life going forward.
I also went to a concert of hers when I was around that same age. It was at Six Flags New England, and I distinctly remember that very long walk from the park to the outdoor arena where the concert was being held. I wanted to be like so many other fans and I made a poster to hold up, hoping she would see it. It was on a purple piece of construction paper and the text was written in yellow highlighter. Yup, wasn’t exactly my smartest move but it’s the thought that counts. But the second she arrived on the stage, I was instantly starstruck. She was an amazing performer, and I felt like I was watching one of my biggest inspirations light up the stage with her vocals and stage presence. We left before she could sing my favorite song, “Ready or Not” which I was upset about, but I’ve made up for it by listening to it almost every day of my life since.
“Wait, teddy duncan’s a lawyer??”
As I grew up, I continued to hear more about Bridgit Mendler in passing, even after Good Luck Charlie ended and she left Disney Channel. She continued to act in other projects, such as the 2014 series Undateable and the 2019 series Merry Happy Whatever with Dennis Quaid and Ashley Tisdale. But overall, she was very sparsely present in the acting world since saying her final lines on Good Luck Charlie. I am so happy that she was because it meant that she could go to school, get her education, and be able to accomplish so many incredible things.
In 2018, she started her graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn her PhD, and then in 2019, she started classes at Harvard Law School. I was surprised that she hadn’t continued along the path that many former Disney Channel stars go on, like Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus. At that time, I was sure that if she continued along the acting and music path, she would’ve had the potential to go far in the entertainment industry and really make an impact. And maybe she would’ve, in a different way. But during her time at MIT, she wrote her master’s thesis titled OurStory, Dispute System Design Technology for Stakeholder Inclusion, which ended up being a huge success. Through her master’s thesis, she is already making an impact and is defying expectations for what a former Disney star, or any young woman, could be able to accomplish.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, it was announced this year that she has become the CEO of her own startup called Northwood Space and that she is the adoptive mom of a four-year-old boy. Seeing someone whom I once looked up to as an almost “stand-in older sister” on TV be able to accomplish so much has been so inspirational, and I just know my eight-year-old self would be so proud of her. While my ideal career path doesn’t look anything like hers, she’s still such an inspirational person and role model for any young woman in this world. Watching somebody who was a huge part of my childhood go on to defy the odds and make a whole new name for herself has been an incredible and unexpected experience. Personally, I think it’s safe to say that there will be nobody else quite like Bridgit Mendler, but we can all aspire to do what she’s done: do exactly what you’re passionate about, even if nobody expects it from you. In fact, my belief is that it’s better if it’s unexpected because then you can blow everyone else away.