I would like to express my gratitude to my father and mother — the late Jean and Kouhon Jolly Gouede — for teaching me family values, hard work and determination and not to be afraid to dream big and keep getting better at everything I do in life. Having the right support around me growing up at home in Côte d’Ivoire made all the difference and inspired me to come to the United States at the tender age of 23.
I would also like to thank my parents-in-law — the late Warren and Mattie Noonan Harris — who have been wonderfully supportive from the beginning of my career at the United Nations, often advising me to keep a journal of my travels to the developing world.
Above all I want to thank my family — wife Karen and children Angela, Sehaguay Nicole, Nicholas Jr. and Aaron – who have encouraged me to persevere in my work in spite of numerous missions abroad and all the time it took me away from them.
Last but not least, I am grateful to my classmates at Columbia University’s Graduate of Journalism and United Nations colleagues, especially communications and press officers, who have helped tremendously in talking things over, offered comments, and assisted in the selection of my journalistic writing samples.