On the eve of her birthday, August 14, 1904, the young Jewell Legett recorded in her diary that she had "been feeling so strange today … 20 years old! What an age it is! Just the time to be a girl and learn to live" (Legett 1904). Her summer vacation from the 1903-1904 term at Baylor University was spent with her parents and brothers in Port Lavaca, Texas. After a summer of reflection, she would return to Baylor and declare her intent to be a missionary on a foreign field. This analysis is based on Jewell's personal diaries recorded during her student days and during her years in China. First the authors will outline Jewell's college preparation at Baylor University and the Woman's Missionary Union Training School, analyzing retrospectively how her higher education in Southern Baptist schools prepared her for her life's work. Next, using her diaries and other primary source materials, the authors will recount her mission work in evangelism and supervision of girls' schools. Secondary sources provide the historical context for women's evangelical and educational work with Chinese women and girls. Finally, the authors will conclude by describing the impact of missionary efforts like Jewell's on the education of girls in China.