Millie Bobby Brown has taken on another role in addition to actress and entrepreneur: college student. Brown revealed to Allure in its September issue that she has enrolled at Purdue University in Indiana and is taking classes online. She’s studying human services, a program in which “you learn about the system and how to help young people,” Brown said.
That decision stemmed in part from her own journey figuring out what healthy looks like in her life. Brown discussed how in January 2021, she left an “unhealthy situation” with ex-boyfriend and TikTok star Hunter Ecimovic and was working on shooting Stranger Things. Ecimovic went on to make offensive remarks about Brown on his social media in July 2021. Brown’s rep released a statement condemning the activity, saying via E!, “Mr. Ecimovic’s remarks on social media are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful. Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all.”
Brown reflected on this period, saying, “It was a year of healing. When you get publicly humiliated this way, I felt so out of control and powerless. Walking away and knowing that I’m worth everything and this person didn’t take anything from me, it felt very empowering. It felt like my life had finally turned a page and that I actually had ended a chapter that felt so fucking long.”
“Ultimately, all I wanted to do within my career is help young girls and young people out there know that I, too, go through things,” she continued. “I’m not this perfect person that is selling skincare products and [who is] in Stranger Things. I absolutely have made wrong decisions.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
