Lacking funds, she used charred wood for pencils and elderberry juice for ink.
Supported by scholarships, she graduated from Scotia Seminary (1894) and attended the Moody Bible Institute (1894–1895) with the goal of becoming a missionary. Founding Bethune-Cookman University mary mcleod bethune
She was the only child in her family to attend school, walking miles daily to a local mission school. Lacking funds, she used charred wood for pencils