Vice President Harris celebrates Ella Emhoff's college graduation: 'Keep dreaming with ambition'

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Ella Emhoff, the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, is a college graduate. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)

Ella Emhoff graduated from college, with endearing wishes from Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Congratulations to our daughter Ella on her graduation," wrote Harris on Saturday, sharing an Instagram photo of herself and her model step-daughter, who attended The New School's Parsons School of Design in New York City. "I am so proud of you. Keep dreaming with ambition and there is nothing you cannot achieve. Love, Momala."

The nickname, Harris explained in a 2019 essay for Elle, is a warm substitute for "step-mom." When Harris married attorney Doug Emhoff in 2014, his children Ella, 21, and Cole, 26, (from a previous marriage) disliked the term, opting to call the VP "Momala" instead.

On Saturday, second gentlemen Doug also posted a photo of himself and Ella, who wore her cap and gown. "My darling Ella, we are such proud parents!" he wrote. "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!"

Since she was deemed a "style icon" at President Biden's January inauguration, where she wore a plaid Miu Miu coat with a white collar, Ella has kicked off her modeling career.

She was signed to IMG Models and walked the runway for Proenza Schouler during New York's Fashion Week. Ella also landed her first magazine cover for Dust, on which she wore her own colorful sweater, and released a five-piece knitwear collection with designer Batsheva Hay. Three sold out within 30 minutes of the launch.

"The past month has been pretty crazy," Ella remarked in a March video for the fashion news series Good Morning Vogue. "…It’s definitely different and it’s really easy to deny it."

Read more from Yahoo Life:

Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Life’s newsletter.