In honor of the first day of classes, the University of Southern California student received a bouquet of yellow, orange and pink roses from Vanessa Bryant, who sent the sweet gift on behalf of her late husband, Kobe Bryant.
“Happy first day of school!” the note included with the floral arrangement, captured in an Aug. 22 Instagram Story post, read. “Love you always, Daddy.”
The 20-year-old also reflected on the emotional gesture, writing, “first day of school always @kobebryant,” adding, “Thank you mommy @vanessabryant.”
In a separate snap, Natalia also shared a glimpse at her outfit for the day, which included a long-sleeved T-shirt light blue jeans and sunglasses, captioning her post, “first day of grade 15.”
The arrangement from Kobe Bryant’s Vanessa, who tragically lost Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant in a January 2020 helicopter crash, serves as the latest way the 42-year-old has incorporated the NBA star’s memory into their kids’ milestones.
In fact, when Natalia graduated from high school in 2021, the event was made complete with a message included on her graduation cap.
“Daddy, Mommy, Gigi, Bianka and Capri are so proud of you @nataliabryant!!!” Vanessa captioned a June 2021 Instagram photo of Natalia’s rhinestoned cap, which included one of her dad’s most famous quotes tracing the borders, which read, “‘Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is an opportunity for me to rise.’ – Dad.”
Toward the end of her sophomore year, Natalia opened up about enjoying her “normal” college experience.
“I’m loving everything,” the model told Entertainment Tonight in March 2022. “I feel like this whole year flew by so fast. It was everything I expected and honestly more. It was just everything, so I’m so happy to be with everybody that I like.”