At the end of last week, Twitter went crazy with retweets of a heartwarming video. Now, one might think this video has something to do with puppies or tiny cooking, but this video is of a different breed. Wearing a Harvard hoodie, with all his classmates, friends and family standing nearby, 16-year old Ayrton Little of Opelousas, Louisiana received admission to the crimson school.

The flurry of people behind Little errupt in applause and the words “three-peat”, as this is the 3rd year in a row that a graduating senior from Little’s high school will attend Harvard. Little skipped a year and has maintained amazing grades, along with his brother Alex who was accepted to Stanford a week prior. As their graduating class is usually around 16-20 kids, the chance percentage of 3 WHOLE KIDS 3 WHOLE YEARS IN A ROW is astounding. This anomaly, however, is not a product of luck but hard work.

Both Ayrton and Alex praise their single mother and spill that even when bills weren’t paid and their home life was hard, their “dream schools” were always waiting, and that was enough to keep them on track. Maureen Little, mother of both brothers, attributes all the success to their own hard work.

This is not only a heartwarming story but iconic proof of persistence and perseverance, no matter what one’s environment may throw at them. Although extremely happy for these kids reaping the benefits of their headstrong work ethic, one might also look inward at themselves. This is a wake up call to all of us about strength and worth, and the means by which we attain it.

Link below to the video 🙂

https://mobile.twitter.com/AyrtonLittle/status/940759951332560897