Amy Sussman/WireImage for Parkwood) Natalia Bryant, the eldest daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California on May 16 The model, who was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, marked the occasion with a social media post Natalia's mom, Vanessa Bryant, also celebrated the milestone occasion with social media posts of her own Natalia Bryantgraduated cum laude from theUniversity of Southern California. The professional model, 22, marked the occasion with anInstagram postshared on Friday, May 16. "25'❤️🎓," Natalia wrote alongside a portrait of herself wearing a white dress with a red and gold stole that read "cum laude" and included the Greek letters of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. MomVanessa Bryantalso celebrated the milestone moment with social media posts of her own. "We're so proud of you @nataliabryant ! ❤️🎓🎉#USC ✌️#GRAD," Vanessa, 43, wrote, sharing more photos on Instagram inone post. "4 ever 🫶🏽❤️👑🐍 @nataliabryant ❤️🎉 #USCGRAD #CumLaude," sheadded in another. The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Jon Kopaloff/Getty Natalia opened up toPEOPLEexclusively in 2024 about how she balances her professional and educational life. "If someone says [being a full-time student] is not difficult, they're lying, because it is," she said at the time. "That in itself is a full-time job." Natalia continued, "But I do think that having a great support team, family and friends, has been the most important thing." The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Natalia made herrunway debut with Versace at Milan Fashion Week in 2024. At the time, she expressed interest in entering the fashion world full-time post-grad. Citing her younger sister Bianka, 8, as one of her fashion inspirations, Natalia told PEOPLE, "She is such a strong personality and she knows what she wants. She wakes up, she knows what she wants to wear, she knows how to style, she'll know how to style me." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Natalia, Vanessa and the rest of their family faced tragedy whenKobe BryantandGianna Bryantdiedin a helicopter crash in 2020. Vanessa previously praised her daughter's strength amid the loss of her father and sister, and how she looked out for her little sisters while navigating her own future, in a March 2021 interview withPEOPLE. "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," she said, then calling Natalia her "right-hand woman." Read the original article onPeople
