“It made me realize how great our Success Academy community is,” Olivia Connie-Perkins tells PEOPLE. “We always celebrate each other and our accomplishments”
Credit: Success Academy/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- In December 2025, a video shared by Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts in Brooklyn, N.Y., went viral online
- The clip captures the moment students erupt into cheers after an announcement is made over the loudspeaker, celebrating Olivia Connie-Perkins’ acceptance to Brown University
- The 17-year-old senior tells PEOPLE her peers’ heartfelt response showed her how “great” the Success Academy community really is
A high school classroom in Brooklyn, N.Y., served as the backdrop for an unforgettable moment in December 2025, when a routine school day transformed into a celebration that would ripple far beyond its walls.
In a viral video shared by Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts, Olivia Connie-Perkins, 17, sat among her classmates as an announcement revealed she had been accepted to an Ivy League university — making her the first student at SA’s Brooklyn campus to achieve the milestone.
"I have a very special announcement," the principal began over the intercom. "Our school has again made history on the college-acceptance front. We have our first scholar to get accepted into an Ivy League school."
While the congratulations continued over the speakers, it was hard to hear the rest of the message over the sound of students cheering. In the clip, Connie-Perkins could be seen covering her mouth as her peers stood up and applauded, drummed their desks and shouted in excitement.
Credit: Success Academy
The heartfelt clip resonated widely, not just because of the achievement itself, but because of the genuine joy shared by the entire classroom.
“[Their reaction] made me realize how great our Success Academy community is. We always celebrate each other and our accomplishments,” Connie-Perkins tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It felt really nice to experience that and it's also been great to celebrate all of my peers' acceptances.”
That sense of shared achievement is rooted in a broader culture that has defined Success Academy for years. According to SA’s Brooklyn campus Senior Leader, Myra Blain, this milestone is part of a consistent pattern of academic outcomes.
“This is the ninth year in a row of 100% of Success Academy graduates being accepted to a four-year college, including many acceptances to elite or Ivy League schools,” Blain tells PEOPLE.
Connie-Perkins’ accomplishment, however, carries particular weight for the Brooklyn campus, which opened in 2022 and will have its inaugural graduating class this year — marking an important moment in its early history.
“So while [Olivia] is rightfully celebrated as the first in this school’s history to be accepted to an Ivy, she is not the first Success Academy senior to have received an acceptance to an elite or Ivy League school — and I’m sure won’t be the last!” Blain emphasizes.
The school attributes outcomes like these to a long-standing educational approach, which exposes them "to a holistic, rigorous education from day one" and is designed to prepare students from an early age.
That philosophy was clearly reflected not only in Connie-Perkins’ achievement, but in the reaction of her classmates.
“Seeing the entire class rally around her and celebrate her success as if it were their own is a profound testament to the selfless, supportive community they’ve built,” Bain says, reflecting on the viral moment. “It proved that our culture is defined not just by individual excellence, but by the way we lift each other up.”
Credit: Success Academy
For Connie-Perkins, that culture has shaped both her academic journey and her personal growth.
“I've always cared deeply about my education, and I know how lucky I am to go to a school that has not only supported my academic career but also provided so much opportunity to explore my passions and extracurricular activities,” she shares.
“I know that many children do not get these same opportunities, so I am grateful that I was able to attend a school like Success Academy, where I was given the ability to explore my different interests while being set up for academic success,” Connie-Perkins adds. “My hope is that more children are given access to schools like Success that really believe in them and invest in them.”
Over the years, Connie-Perkins has immersed herself in a demanding course load, taking nearly a dozen Advanced Placement classes while also participating in summer programs designed to prepare students for college. At the same time, she nurtured her creative side.
Credit: Success Academy
“I love art, crocheting and creating in my free time — I started a student-led club called ‘Yarn Yard,’” she reveals.
It was a combination of preparation and determination that ultimately led Connie-Perkins to her dream school in Rhode Island.
“Brown [University] was always my first choice because I was very attracted to the beautiful campus — it reminded me of architecture I had studied in Art History — and their open curriculum,” she explains.
Now officially committed, Connie-Perkins says she is looking ahead with excitement. “I went to visit the campus recently and I was overwhelmed by how welcoming it was. I can't wait for move-in day!”
Credit: Success Academy
As a first-generation college student, the milestone carries even greater meaning for Connie-Perkins and her family. And while the viral moment captured a single day, the teenager from Brooklyn sees it as the culmination of years of effort.
“This is something I have been working towards my entire time at Success Academy,” she tells PEOPLE. “Pushing myself to excel academically has always been important to me, so this felt like a culmination of all that hard work.”
For the school’s leadership, Connie-Perkins’ journey represents both individual excellence and a broader mission.
“Olivia, you are an inspiration to future Success Academy classes and students like you – you’ve shown that when you are given access to opportunity and have the drive and discipline to take advantage of it, anything is possible,” Bain says in a message directed to the Brown-bound senior.
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