West Philadelphia senior heading to Harvard, thanks in part to Fairmount Park nonprofit Work to Ride

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Getting into Harvard isn't easy, but for a West Philadelphia senior, it wasn't even a thought.

West Philadelphia senior Alyssa Perren is heading there in the fall and she credits part of that milestone to a nonprofit in Fairmount Park.

A social media video of Alyssa Perren shows the moment she learned she'd gotten accepted to the prestigious university.

The Paul Robeson High School senior shared the news with staff at Work to Ride, a nonprofit community-based prevention program that she's a part of. It helps under-resourced urban kids through activities like horsemanship, equine sports and education.

Perren says she was set on attending Cornell, but an impromptu trip to Boston changed that.

Now, Alyssa is working to change the narrative, showing kids in her West Philadelphia neighborhood that all things are possible.

"From the time that I was young, all the things that I wanted to do, I've never seen Black women be pioneers in the sport. So, I've always had the disposition that if I can't have a role model with what I want to do, then I'm going to be that role model for someone else," she said.

Alyssa will be heading to Harvard University this fall, playing on the school's polo team.