Joanna and Chip Gaines are still living on the high of seeing their daughter Ella Rose Gaines graduate from high school over the weekend.
The 18-year-old is now the second among her siblings to fly the family nest and leave for college, following in her older brother Drake's footsteps.
However, unlike her older sibling, 20, she will not be attending school so close to home. In fact, Ella has her sights set on an institution far from Texas, potentially even across the country.
© InstagramDrake is currently a sophomore at a university in Texas, although his parents have not specified where. However, they've mentioned that he happens to be relatively close to home, close enough to visit often.
Meanwhile, Ella's parents have mentioned in previous interviews that she has her sights set on more creative pursuits, and it's likely they'll be taking her much farther from home.
Joanna previously has mentioned that her daughter is most like her when it comes to picking up skills for design, home improvement, lifestyle and aesthetics. In fact, Ella was previously an intern with Magnolia as well.
© InstagramDuring an appearance on the Business of Home podcast, Joanna, 47, gushed over having her daughter be an active part of the team, and even being an instrumental cog in helping her organize her work as she and Chip, 50, prepared to take a sabbatical during the summer of 2024.
"One of my favorite moments that was so pivotal for me as a mother, but also as a business owner, was my daughter, my oldest daughter, was in on a lot of these conversations before our break in June, that I was having with the team," she mentioned.
"She was interning with me, so she'd be in these meetings where I was like, y'all, I need vision," she continued. "Like, we need to get back to why we're doing what we're doing. And so she was listening and she was interested."
© Instagram"She was writing things as I was saying, okay, if we do this, if we do that," Joanna proudly recalled, explaining how Ella stayed back with her overnight at the office to plan their time off together.
Chip indicated during a previous conversation with TODAY that while Drake always intended to be closer to home, Ella had her heart set on taking the biggest swing possible and leaving Texas behind.
"Ella has thought about Korea [Joanna's mother is Korean], she's thought about sunny Southern California. She's not going to be in the Central Texas area when she goes on to her next chapter. She seems excited to be able to spread her wings and do something very unique and outside the bubble."
© Getty Images"With Drake, we needed to send him to college to teach him basic survival skills, like how to do laundry," the dad-of-five joked.
"Ella is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. It feels like we're sending this young lady off to become the next president of the United States. It's very the sky's the limit with Ella."
