As we celebrate Bethune-Cookman University as our May 2015 HBCU of the Month Supported Institution, let's meet those who succeeded from #BCU as notable alumni. This phenomenal women is the granddaughter of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and CEO of the Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Preservation Institute, Inc. Dr. Evelyn Idell Bethune, which she founded to expand the knowledge of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and to ensure the continuation, growth and development of her legacy by encouraging and promoting education and community service in a variety of platforms.

Graduated in 1979 from the institution who her grandmother founded with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration/Accounting, she has served as president of the Houston Area Chapter of the Bethune Cookman College Alumni Association, promoting the excellence while recruiting for the Daytona Beach HBCU, and served as Co-Director of the Youth Empowerment Committee of the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce. In 2008, she was elected president of the Elease Knight Section, NCNW Houston. Today, she is a lecturer and motivational speaker, sharing personal insights and life lessons as well as speaking on the life of her grandmother Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Dr. Evelyn is also the corresponding secretary for the Bethune-Cookman University Women's Advisory Board, member of the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association of Volusia and Flagler Counties, and a member of the B-CU President's Community Roundtable just to list a few.

In May 2009, she published her first book entitled, BETHUNE: Out of Darkness into the Light of Freedom. It is the first book on the life of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, written by a family member and speaks on a very person level about the relevance of the exceptional accomplishments of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in today's world as well as a look at her legacy. And in 2010, she opened the Daytona Beach office of the Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Preservation Institute. Dr. Evelyn Bethune states, "At the very core of the work of my head, heart and hands, stands the inspiring p, awesome, far-reaching legacy of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, touching every volunteer, every vendor, every contractor, every customer, every product and every service provided by the Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Preservation Institute, Inc. Their purpose is to empower and to take the legacy of a great woman to the next level.

Dr. Evelyn has used her experiences both personal and corporate to help others get on tract with their own lives. Her story is one of faith and determination. Her example is one of triumph over adversity. Instead of finding excuses or accepting mediocre efforts, Dr. Bethune points to the accomplishments of her grandmother as the example of what faith and perseverance can do.