Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts senior Olivia Connie-Perkins has been accepted to Brown University, making her the first student from the school’s Brooklyn campus to secure an Ivy League admission.
The milestone was announced via the school’s intercom in December, a moment captured in a viral video showing Connie-Perkins’ classmates erupting in celebration. For the Brooklyn campus, which opened in 2022 and will graduate its inaugural class this spring, the acceptance serves as a definitive marker of the institution’s academic trajectory.
Despite the
personal nature of the achievement, Connie-Perkins attributed much of the moment to the environment her peers fostered. “[Their reaction] made me realize how great our Success Academy community is. We always celebrate each other and our accomplishments,” she told PEOPLE.Connie-Perkins, a first-generation college student, navigated a rigorous academic workload that included nearly a dozen Advanced Placement courses. Outside the classroom, she founded “Yarn Yard,” a student-led club dedicated to her interests in art and crochet. Her decision to commit to the Providence-based university was influenced by both its aesthetic and its pedagogical reputation.
“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,” Connie-Perkins explained.
The achievement coincides with a broader pattern of success within the charter network. According to senior leadership, 100% of Success Academy graduates have been accepted into four-year colleges for nine consecutive years. Reflecting on her journey, Connie-Perkins noted the importance of the institutional resources that supported her path to the Ivy League.
“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,” she remarked.
As she prepares to join the Brown University Class of 2030, Connie-Perkins’ admission stands as both a personal culmination of years of effort and a foundational precedent for the future of the Success Academy Brooklyn campus.
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