U.S. Ambassador to Guyana: How LSU and Her Louisiana Parents Helped Make Her a Better Diplomat
May 22, 2024
Ambassador Nicole Theriot, center, is joined by the U.S. Embassy Guyana staff to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 2023.
Growing up in Baton Rouge, LSU alum Nicole Theriot picked up two key characteristics from her parents that have served her well in life — up to and including her current role as U.S. Ambassador to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
Nicole Theriot with Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Oct. 20, 2023, the day she presented her credentials to the president as the new U.S. Ambassador.
“I had a rather charmed childhood,” she said, “with two loving, hard-working parents who instilled in me a strong work ethic and deep respect for others, regardless of their religion, race, or other attributes.”
Theriot, a 1993 LSU graduate in political science with a minor in French, has carried her parents’ ideals with her on a journey that has taken her to the highest levels of the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service. In September 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Theriot as Ambassador to the Caribbean country of Guyana, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her in July 2023. She arrived for duty on Oct. 14, 2023.
It was a huge step in a career concocted in the mind of 11-year-old Theriot, who had stumbled across the subject in her neighbor’s high school civics textbook and was more than intrigued. “I was hooked from that moment on!” Theriot said.
Theriot credits much of her success to her parents, who pushed her to get a quality education and helped her experience international travel at age 15 with a summer in southern France to improve her French.
Her education, along with “hundreds of volleyball games through middle and high school,” kept her busy, but her parents were there every step of the way, cheering her on and working hard to give her and her sister whatever they needed growing up.
LSU Bound
As Theriot considered her future, her first-generation college graduate mom was insistent that she continue her education. Being born and raised in Baton Rouge meant attending LSU was almost a fait accompli. “Anything else would be treason!” Theriot joked.
Actually, the idea of getting a quality education at LSU for an affordable price appealed to Theriot.
“LSU has always been an excellent school, and while I sometimes dreamed of attending a fancy private university, financial circumstances kept me in Baton Rouge,” she said. “Because I passed many AP courses in high school, I actually only attended LSU for three years, starting at age 17 and finishing at 20,” Theriot said. “So, I had to make the most of my short time there.”
Did she ever.
She immediately joined a sorority – Kappa Alpha Theta – making new friends and immersing herself in LSU’s vibrant Greek life. “I attended every LSU football game with my fraternity dates, went to all the parties, and enjoyed life to the fullest,” she said.
She consistently made the honor roll, took on leadership roles in the sorority, became the treasurer of the Panhellenic Council, and received two scholarships from Kappa Alpha Theta. “I also joined other campus groups that championed causes I believed in, including groups advocating for human rights and animal welfare. I was very busy!” she said.
Theriot during Kappa Alpha Theta bid day in August 1990.
Theriot with friends at Kappa Alpha Theta Formal in February 1992.
Theriot at her first formal as a Theta, presented by her father, Preston T. Theriot.
Theriot on LSU graduation day in August 1993 with best friend Tara Bruce.
Theriot with her mother, Brenda Theriot, before attending an LSU-Florida baseball game in April 2019.
Theriot with her father, Preston T. Theriot, at an LSU-Auburn football game in October 2021.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about my LSU experience because it made me who I am today.”
Nicole Theriot
The Importance of Education
After a foray into law school, Theriot eventually returned to her true calling, international diplomacy.
She studied international relations in graduate school at Vanderbilt University and, while there, completed two summer internships with the State Department – one in Washington, D.C., working in the Bureau of African Affairs in the Public Diplomacy office and one at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
She credits her LSU education for laying the groundwork for everything she’s accomplished.
“I have said many times in speeches all over the world that I would not be where I am today without the quality education provided to me by my schooling in Louisiana, especially LSU,” she said. “The university’s culture is one of balance – balancing your academic pursuits with your development as a human being.”
“It is a place where you learn who you are and what you value, and then you learn how you are going to carry those values out into the world. I wouldn’t change a thing about my LSU experience because it made me who I am today and got me to this point in my career.”
One LSU class in particular that stood out to her was Philosophy and Logic, which she said changed the way she thought about herself. “I never thought I was a particularly logical thinker, but I consistently aced every exam. The professor would trumpet my successes to the entire class, which did wonders for my confidence. I am very grateful to her.”
A Career in Foreign Service
Back to that 11-year-old girl.
The high school textbook she borrowed from her neighbor way back when referred to the Foreign Service as “the most elite institution in the U.S. government.” It went on to describe how Foreign Service officers advance U.S. foreign policy and national interests in countries worldwide, learning the language and working in diverse cultures.
In Theriot’s mind, a dream was born. And when she got the opportunity to connect with the world of diplomacy while in grad school, that dream came true. Theriot said she jumped at the chance to make a career of it.
“Now, 25 years later, I can still say it was the best decision I ever made,” she said. “I have served in 11 overseas assignments all over the world – from Afghanistan to Barbados, and I have done two Washington assignments as well.”
Theriot chose to specialize in consular work, which includes helping U.S. citizens in distress overseas, adjudicating visas for those wishing to travel to the United States, and interviewing and processing immigrant visa applications for those hoping to move permanently to the United States, among others.
“My absolute favorite part of consular work,” she said, “is American Citizen Services – helping U.S. citizens living abroad with everything from renewing their U.S. passport to registering the birth of their child to visiting them in jail, or ensuring they are getting quality health care when hospitalized overseas.
“The U.S. Department of State was originally created to help U.S. citizens overseas, and I take my responsibility to maintain that solemn commitment very seriously.”
Her least favorite or most challenging part of her work is something that may ring familiar. “It is dealing with the labyrinthine bureaucracy back in Washington. I think every U.S. citizen can relate to that!”
Ambassador Nicole Theriot celebrates the April inaugural flight of United Airlines into Guyana. The Embassy was instrumental in introducing the flights, including four from Georgetown to Houston per week.
In March, Ambassador Nicole Theriot visits the Guyana operations of Edison Chouest, a Louisiana company providing supply vessels to oil and gas operators around the world. The company was founded in Galliano, Louisiana.
Ambassador Nicole Theriot takes part in the donation of solar refrigerators from the United States to Guyana for use in storing life-saving vaccines in November 2023.
Ambassador Nicole Theriot receives the Honor Guard at the Headquarters of the Guyana Defense Force, Camp Ayangana, before meeting with the Chief of Army Staff Briadier Omar Khan in December 2023.
Ambassador Nicole Theriot joins former President Bill Clinton during his visit to the U.S. Embassy in Guyana in March.
Ambassador Nicole Theriot at the Hindu festival of Holi in March covered in colorful powder artfully poured by President Ali. At left is UK High Commissioner Jane Miller, OBE.
Ambassador Nicole Theriot celebrates her first Thanksgiving in Guyana with senior citizens and their caregivers at her residence in Georgetown in November 2023.
Being Ambassador
As Ambassador, Theriot is the President’s personal representative to the country of Guyana, which currently has the world’s fastest-growing economy, she said.
“My Louisiana upbringing and education made me the exact right person for this important job in a country with a burgeoning oil and gas sector, thanks to massive recent discoveries by ExxonMobil."
That connection grows daily as Louisiana companies and businesspeople flock to Guyana to help develop their oil and gas sector. Theriot also sees other exciting similarities between the people of Louisiana and Guyana.
“We both embrace our state or country’s natural beauty and our waterways to the fullest, whether it be our many rivers or proximity to the ocean,” she said. “I grew up fishing with my dad on Lake Verret and in Grand Isle, and I can’t wait for him to visit me in Guyana so I can take him fishing on the Essequibo River.
“Another wonderful similarity is that we both love a good party. In Louisiana, we take any opportunity to throw a parade or have a party, and in Guyana they do the same.
“Everyone here celebrates everyone else’s religious traditions, cultures, and festivals. The entire country, regardless of their religion, comes out to celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi, the Christian holiday of Easter, and the Muslim celebration of Eid. It is beautiful and inspiring to see how enthusiastically the Guyanese embrace each other’s cultures and religions.”
Theriot hopes to share the wonders of Guyana with fellow Louisianans and offers a special invitation to come and experience that cultural connection.
“I am incredibly honored and proud to serve the people of the United States as their Ambassador to Guyana,” she said, “and I hope my Louisiana brothers and sisters who visit Guyana will give me a call! Geaux Tigers!”
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