He had to mop the floor for his entrance exam at the school

First of all, one of the most interesting facts about Booker T. Washington is He had to mop the floor for his entrance exam at the school. Booker T. Washington, then sixteen years old, walked over 500 miles from Malden to Hampton in 1872 to attend the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. He was starving and broke when he arrived in Hampton. Miss Mackie, the head teacher, did not feel sorry for him. Instead, she instructed him to sweep the floor as a test. Washington accepted the challenge and cleaned the walls, mopped the floor, and swept it three times. Then Miss Mackie used a clean, white handkerchief to look over his work. She permitted Washington entry to the school after being moved by his diligence. General Samuel C. Armstrong, the school's founder, and headmaster, soon took note of him and awarded him a scholarship. Armstrong later served as his mentor. However, to cover the expense of his accommodation and board, he was forced to work as a janitor.

Washington left Hampton University with a degree in 1875 and returned to his former elementary school in Malden, Virginia. After being selected to speak at Hampton's graduation in 1879, General Armstrong gave him a position as a teacher at his school. He later attended Wayland Seminary (now Virginia Union University) in Washington, D.C.