Adams frames the obligation of a Clinton College education in unmistakable terms. The institution's founders — Presiding Elder Crockett and Reverend Robinson, who established the school in 1894 during Reconstruction to eradicate illiteracy among freed men — were clear about the college's mission and the requirement of service. Adams extends that mission to today's graduates: a degree isn't just a credential, it's a contract. The Lord blessed her, she says, from school board to Congress over almost 40 years — but he didn't bless her for herself. He blessed her to be a blessing to others. Her challenge: don't get it and go. Get it and give.