“It made me realize how great our Success Academy community is,” Olivia Connie-Perkins tells PEOPLE. “We always celebrate each other and our accomplishments”
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.”…