Vice President Kamala Harris is celebrating her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff’s graduation from the New School's Parsons School of Design in New York City this week.
Harris shared a photo to Instagram standing side-by-side with her stepdaughter with their arms around each other’s shoulders. In the caption, the vice president shared a touching note to the graduate, writing, “Congratulations to our daughter Ella on her graduation."
“I am so proud of you,” the caption continued. “Keep dreaming with ambition and there is nothing you cannot achieve. Love, Momala.”
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff took time this week to celebrate his daughter’s accomplishment, sharing a photo with Ella on Twitter and Instagram, smiling proudly as she donned her cap and gown for the ceremony.
“My darling Ella, we are such proud parents!” he tweeted. “We love you so much, and are very much looking forward to all you do in the future. And, to the other Class of 2021 graduates out there, huge congratulations!”
The second gentleman’s ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, also shared two posts on Instagram and Twitter to mark the occasion and celebrate her daughter’s accomplishment. The couple was married from 1992 until they divorced in 2008 and share two children together, Ella, and Cole, 26.
Along with her heartfelt celebratory message, the CEO of Prettybird shared a photo of the trio side-by-side with their arms around one another.
On Twitter, she wrote, “So proud of our Parson’s grad! Way to go Ella! 🎓🤩❤️ @ella_emhoff @SecondGentleman @DouglasEmhoff”
She captioned the Instagram photo, “Our baby girl Ella. Now a Parson’s School graduate! So proud. 🎓❤️.”
Ella may have just graduated from Parson’s this week, but her career in fashion already kicked off earlier this year after debuting an eye-catching plaid Miu Miu coat at the inauguration ceremony in January, catapulting her into breakout style star territory.
In February, it was announced that the recent graduate signed with IMG Models alongside inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman, and Natalia Bryant. That same month, she made her modeling debut in a surprise appearance at Proenza Schouler's socially distanced show during New York Fashion Week and showed off three different looks.
The 21-year-old reflected on becoming a style icon and her overnight fame in an episode of Good Morning Vogue in March, not even two months after the inauguration.
“The past month’s been pretty crazy. I realized it was going to affect everyone in my life, and you guys are the closest ones to me,” she said as she talked with two of her friends. “It’s all been so fast.”
Before the inauguration, Ella and her friends didn’t know that one fashion choice could possibly change her life that drastically.
“I remember a few days before the inauguration, we were talking about what you were going to wear and we were very excited,” one of her friends said in the video. “I was joking that you were going to become a style icon.”
Life has been a whirlwind for the entire Harris and Emhoff family, Ella included.
“I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting this," she said. "I think life really did a 180.”