Vanessa Bryant Congratulates Eldest Daughter Natalia on High School Graduation

Natalia Bryant, 18, walked the stage after four years of high school this week, with her mother cheering her on and shouting her out on Instagram.

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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

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Natalia Bryant, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s eldest daughter, is officially a high school grad, and she also took the major achievement as an opportunity to honor her late father. 

Bryant walked the stage after four years of high school this week, as her mother cheered her on and shouted her out on Instagram with several different celebratory photos and highlights from the ceremony. 

“Congratulations Natalia! We will ALL be with you every step of the way,” Vanessa wrote in one caption, as her and other family members could be heard cheering in the video.

In another post, Vanessa shared her daughter’s graduation cap, which featured a quote from Kobe: “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

As made evident by her studded cap, Natalia will be headed to the University of Southern California in the fall. Her mom has previously explained that Natalia has been her “right-hand woman” over the last year, following the 2020 deaths of Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash. 

“On top of her own grief, she has balanced her senior year of high school, applying to colleges, nurturing her sisters, and just recently signing her own modeling contract with IMG,” Vanessa previously told PEOPLE.

 

Natalia also posed for pictures, which her mother posted, alongside her “uncle”—and quarterback—Russell Wilson, and her “auntie” Ciara. 

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