Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice proudly talked about the progress the nation has made over the past eight years as she bid farewell to her colleagues at the State Department, Friday.

"We've struggled, and we've fought, and we've insisted, and impatient patriots have pushed us," she began, "and slowly but surely we've come to be a more perfect, though not yet perfect, union"

With tears welling in her eyes, Rice said her story is a testament of the freedom "in the heart of every human being" that we can all achieve.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said farewell to the workers of the State Department Friday. But she also gave a rousing defense of the American dream. Click play to hear her comments.

Rice became the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of state during President Bush's second term. Colin Powell became the first African American to take on the roll just four years before her.

"And that's why I know that one day there is going to be a world in which every man, woman, and child will be free from tyranny," Rice said.

Incoming secretary of state, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is expected to be confirmed for the post, Tuesday, after President-elect Obama's inauguration.