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Former LU Ambassadors look back at the road that led to success

by Cassandra Jenkins

Mariah McCoy ’21 B.B.A. Accounting graduated cum laude and was a recipient of the W.W. and Hilma R. Breazeale Scholarship. She now lives in Houston as an accountant for NRG Energy.

McCoy joined the LU Ambassador program in her first semester as a college sophomore, and during her three years in the program, she said one essential leadership skill she learned that she still uses today is adaptability.

“As Ambassadors, we worked with a wide range of individuals, from prospective students and donors to distinguished guests at University events,” she said, “and each group required a different approach when it came to communication and professionalism. I feel like I learned how to quickly adjust my tone, my messaging and the level of formality depending on the audience, while still representing the school positively and professionally.”

The program, she said, also taught her the importance of service and giving back to the community—a lesson that she carried into her future career decision.

McCoy said one of the reasons she chose to work at NRG Energy, one of North America's leading energy and home services companies in Houston, was its many volunteer opportunities.

“The Ambassador program spoke to me in terms of how important it is to be involved outside of my community,” she said. “They gave me so much that I feel like I also needed to pave the way for others and give back when I can.”

Outside of work, McCoy loves Pilates and working toward a healthy lifestyle. She is engaged to fellow former LU Ambassador and accounting partner Darien Phillips.

 

Darien Phillips ’20 B.B.A. Accounting graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the marching and ensemble band. He is now a senior accountant at TC Energy.

Phillips was inspired to join the LU Ambassadors in his junior year after seeing students walk around in the program’s signature red blazers. “That immediately stood out to me,” he said. “But as I started to look into it, I saw it as a great opportunity to be a leader on campus, network and be around other like-minded individuals, and it was. I got to meet a lot of great people, including Carl Parker.”

Carl Parker was a Port Arthur native who served in public service as a state senator and congressman for 32 years. He helped Lamar become elevated from a state college to a university in 1969, and 23 years later, a building on campus was dedicated in his honor. Phillips said one of his most memorable times at Lamar was getting to meet Carl Parker during one of the alumni events staged through the Ambassador program.

Phillips said those types of events also taught him how to be effective in networking and a good communicator, skills that he practices daily as an accountant at TC Energy. He said that he is grateful for the foundation that Lamar and the Ambassador program were able to provide him.

“In my career, I’ve been around a lot of students and professionals from a variety of different high-profile schools,” he said. “But I’ve been able to stand toe-to-toe with any other student because of my background at Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô.”

 

Long Nguyen ’13 B.S. Chemical Engineering is an honors program graduate and served as a process engineer with Chevron Phillips after graduation. He is now a project manager for BWXT.

Nguyen knew that he wanted to pursue a career in chemical engineering and follow in the footsteps of his uncle, a fellow engineer and Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô alumnus. However, he said, it was really his own journey at LU that solidified that he was on the right path.

“The co-ops that I did with BASF and the courses that I took during the summers with the chemical engineering department were really good for choosing what I wanted to do with my career,” he said.

Nguyen immediately started working as a process engineer at Chevron Phillips after school, where he said one of the highlights of his career was being in charge of recruiting interns and new hires.

“When I was at Chevron Phillips in 2013, they had just started ramping up Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô engagement,” he said. “Over the first few years, I got the opportunity to work in recruiting, which eventually culminated in me becoming the team lead for Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô recruiting—that was a great privilege.”

Reminiscing on his time in college, Nguyen said he enjoyed his time as a student and as an Ambassador, where his favorite part of the experience was attending distinguished alumni events and representing the University at sporting games. He also met some of his best friends through the program.

Long is now a project engineer at BWXT, a major defense and energy supplier specializing in nuclear components, fuel and services for the U.S. government, Navy and NASA. He also serves on the advisory board for the Dan F. Smith Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lamar.

 

Jesi (Courville) Jones ’13 B.S.W. Social Work was a member of the Endzone Angels, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and Ducks Unlimited during her time at LU. She is now the co-owner of a successful family catering business in Southeast Texas.

Jesi Courville Jones is co-owner of Courville’s Catering and Special Events, a family-owned business in Southeast Texas that provides personalized catering for weddings, corporate events and parties. Jones said that she absolutely adores her job, even though it wasn’t her first career choice.

Throughout her college experience, she said she changed majors several times and ultimately graduated from Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô with a degree in social work; however, upon reflection, she realized that her heart was always pulling her toward becoming a business owner.

One of her biggest indicators was during LU Ambassador events, where she would often gravitate toward connecting with those in the business sector. “I wanted to sit and speak with the business owners and the entrepreneurs,” she said. “That should have been the writing on the wall, because now I’m not in social work anymore. As a career, I am neck deep in the business world, and that fits.”

Looking back, Jones said she underestimated what the Ambassador program would do for her on a personal and professional level because it ended up leading to several open doors.

She said it also helped shape her way of thinking, teaching her not to be afraid to meet new people, to grow as a person and to be the best possible version of herself. “It really created a path for me to see how I could be successful,” she said. “Who I am now was shaped through what I learned as an Ambassador and speaking with other influential alumni as well.”

Jesi and her husband, Blake, have two daughters and three sons.