Quote by Mary McLeod Bethune: “I leave you a thirst for education.”

Bethune wanted to instill in future generations a deep and continuous desire to learn and seek knowledge. She saw education not as a destination, but as a lifelong journey and a crucial tool for advancement.

As a lifelong educator and founder of Bethune-Cookman University, Bethune's will, written shortly before her death, underscored her profound belief in the transformative power of education. This legacy was shared at a time when access to quality learning was still deeply unequal for Black Americans.

American educator and civil rights leader who founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. She served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, and was one of the most influential Black women in American public life of the twentieth century.