Disney Channel's Bridgit Mendler Shares Her "Hard Choices" as New Mom

Originally appeared on E! Online

She's not Dr. Bridgit Mendler quite yet.

Weeks after giving major updates about her personal and professional lifeā€”notably that she launched a new startup and is now a momā€”the Good Luck Charlie alum is sharing an update on her journey through academia.

"Hey people. It came to my attention that something on my linkedin profile is causing confusion that I want to clarify: I am 2 months away from a JD and I don't already have a PhD," Mendler wrote on X March 7. "The PhD is something I started working towards in 2020 and I pursued it jointly with my law degree but when I moved to California last summer and decided that for family reasons we would stay on the west coast, it had to go on pause."

The 31-year-old had surprised fans Feb. 19 when she announced that she and husband Griffin Cleverly had adopted a son, now 4, whom they'd previously fostered, and that she has also launched a startup called Northwood Space, which "aims to build satellite ground stations that are designed with mass production and customer flexibility first in mind," per CNBC.

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Over the last few years, the Disney Channel alum, who last acted in the 2019 series Merry Happy Whatever, had stepped away from the spotlight to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Law School.

And as Mendler made clear, her schooling journey is not over as she plans to "still fight" for her PhD, adding, "But how it gets completed is up to the administration and my principal investigator and what they think is appropriate."

Bridgit Mendler, 2016
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Mendler is concentrating on maintaining a work-life balance that works best for her family.

"Ultimately, any parent or person trying to juggle hard things has experienced that sometimes you have to make hard choices," she wrote on X. "My parents have a saying: 'do everything it's a blast.' I enjoy pushing the boundary of the possible and saying yes to more things but also it is important to flex the muscle of prioritization and discernment. For myself I've found that learning when to say no or not right now can be more of a skill than saying yes."

Read on to find out what other Disney Channel stars have been up to in recent years:

Clayton Snyder, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>

Clayton Snyder, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>


Adam Lamberg, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>

Adam Lamberg, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>


Lalaine, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>

Lalaine, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>


Jake Thomas, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>

Jake Thomas, <i>Lizzie McGuire</i>


Camilla Belle, <i> Rip Girls</i>

Camilla Belle, <i> Rip Girls</i>


Jake T. Austin, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>

Jake T. Austin, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>


David Henrie, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>

David Henrie, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>


Jennifer Stone, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>

Jennifer Stone, <i>Wizards of Waverly Place</i>


Mia Talerico, <i> Good Luck Charlie</i>

Mia Talerico, <i> Good Luck Charlie</i>


Bridgit Mendler, <i>Good Luck, Charlie</i>

Bridgit Mendler, <i>Good Luck, Charlie</i>


Kiely Williams, <i>Cheetah Girls</i>

Kiely Williams, <i>Cheetah Girls</i>


Sabrina Bryan, <i>Cheetah Girls</i>

Sabrina Bryan, <i>Cheetah Girls</i>


Ryan Merriman, <i>Smart House</i>

Ryan Merriman, <i>Smart House</i>


Kirsten Storms, <i>Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century</i>

Kirsten Storms, <i>Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century</i>


<p>Erik von Detten, <em>Brink!</em></p>

<p>Erik von Detten, <em>Brink!</em></p>


Raviv Ullman, <i>Phil of the Future</i>

Raviv Ullman, <i>Phil of the Future</i>


Kimberly J. Brown, <i>Halloweentown</i>

Kimberly J. Brown, <i>Halloweentown</i>


Mitchel Musso, <i>Hannah Montana</i>

Mitchel Musso, <i>Hannah Montana</i>


Jason Earles, <i>Hannah Montana</i>

Jason Earles, <i>Hannah Montana</i>


Kyle Massey, <i>That's So Raven</i>

Kyle Massey, <i>That's So Raven</i>


A.J. Trauth, <i>Even Stevens</i>

A.J. Trauth, <i>Even Stevens</i>


Christy Carlson Romano, <i>Even Stevens</i>

Christy Carlson Romano, <i>Even Stevens</i>


Brandon Baker, <i>Johnny Tsunami</i>

Brandon Baker, <i>Johnny Tsunami</i>


Alana Austin, <i>Motocrossed</i>

Alana Austin, <i>Motocrossed</i>


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