Guillot Looks to Go the Distance After Graduation

BATON ROUGE - Monica Guillot is a chemical engineering major at LSU and a distance runner for LSU Track and Field. But with graduation quickly approaching, you might say the 21-year-old is unsure of where the finish line is.

Four years ago, the Covington, La. native joined the track team as a walk-on. It was something she said she may not have done without the help of her teammate at St. Scholastica Academy, Carley Boyce, or her coach, Chris Pool.

“I joined the team because I had a passion for the sport and wanted to continue my running career for one of the most storied track programs in the nation,” Guillot said. “To be able to say that I am on the track team is a great honor.”

In the last four years, she has become a specialist in 5k and 10k races, producing a number of top-10 finishes over her career. She’s also been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the last two years and was awarded the LSU Track and Field Women’s Academic Achievement Award in 2017.

Her focus now, however, is what comes next.

Guillot is interested in working in the chemical engineering sector after graduation and will intern with Methanex this summer, the world’s largest producer and supplier of methanol to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and South America.

But she is also interested in pursuing a medical degree and helping athletes like her. Guillot will take the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, this spring and apply for medical school next August.

“I have considered being an orthopedic surgeon,” Guillot said. “Being an athlete and in the sports field, I would love to help other athletes, specifically those who get injured, with orthopedic medicine.”

Whatever she decides, one thing is certain, Guillot will go the distance.

By Raven Nichols, Communications Intern