WednesdayMar312021
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicBoth Vanessa Bryant and her daughter Natalia were jumping for joy over her recent college acceptance letter. The 18-year-old learned that she made the cut to join the University of Southern California's class of 2025.
Vanessa, the widow of late NBA star Kobe Bryant, shared the adorable video of her daughter excitedly dancing around after learning the good news.
"Tears of joy. I’m SO happy for you Nani! I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU. I am so PROUD OF YOU," she captioned the sweet video.
The proud mom also commended her daughter's fighting spirit, adding, "Your hard work and dedication was so worth it. You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded."
"I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate but I know they’re here in spirit," noted Vanessa, adding, "We love you so much!"
Of course, the family went all out to celebrate Natalia's latest triumph, too. In a follow up video, Vanessa shows that she decorated her daughter's room with a bouquet of shiny balloons and left USC merch all over the bed.
However, the sweetest surprise came in the form of a pair of custom USC Black Mamba Nike sneakers, saying she commissioned them to remind her daughter "Daddy and Gigi are ALWAYS here. Forever and always Principessa."
Vanessa also joked that, had Natalia been rejected, she would "have stabbed these balloons in the guest room and have thrown all this away."
Natalia now has a big decision facing her as USC isn't the only college she got into. The aspiring model also gained admission to four other institutions — Loyola Marymount University, the University of Oregon, the University of California Irvine and New York University, the latter of which Vanessa identified as one of her daughter's "top schools."
By Megan Stone
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