Persequendum est Nobis
The Latin motto on the cover of the high school graduation program “Persequendum est Nobis” - we must persist - may seem daring but it was appropriate for a class that included Terrell (listed as Mary E. Church), Ida A. Gibbs, and Charles Martin Hall, all of whom went on to important and distinguished careers after graduating from Oberlin College.
The topic of her essay, "Troubles and Trials," might sound overly serious in light of some of the topics of her peers (e.g., "Little Dorrit," and "Decorative Art"). In her memoir, however, Terrell describes her delivery of it as playful, and her intention was to suggest that most 'troubles and trials' are not real, and those that are real can be mitigated. This philosophy is in evidence in her approach to difficult situations throughout her life.
Interestingly, of the twelve graduates that year, three were "colored" (Terrell, Gibbs, and James H. Lyman), and all but three were women. Terrell and five of her female classmates took the Classical Course. If the College's Preparatory Department curriculum is a guide, this would have included more mathematics and Latin and Greek than the Literary Course.