Priscilla Hobbs Nugent grew up watching her parents run the family business and wondering what it took to make operations run well. After witnessing the nationwide recession in 2008, Nugent decided to pursue a career in finance, eventually enrolling at BYU Marriott and discovering the answer to her childhood wonderings. “I have loved what I learned in the BYU Marriott program and the opportunities it has provided me thus far,” Nugent says.
In between her junior and senior years, Nugent chose to complete an internship with Intel. She explains, “Intel was the only company that was willing to provide an internship that was flexible around my summer tour with BYU’s Ballroom Dance Company, during which we won the 2016 British Formation Championship. Seeing how willing Intel was to work with me told me how the company treats and respects its employees, and I have not regretted my decision to work with them.”
However, when Nugent collected her BYU diploma in 2017, she still felt uncertain about the future. Though she’d accepted a position as a financial analyst with Intel in Folsom, California, Nugent says she was apprehensive about moving “to a place where the Latter-day Saint population was no longer the majority. But it ended up being perfect.”
Just weeks before relocating to the Golden State, Nugent connected with fellow finance alum Michael Nugent. The two went on a date that “kind of felt like it was a finance interview,” Nugent quips. “We basically just talked about business and finance.” Since Michael was working as an economic consultant near where Nugent was moving, the two made plans to see each other again. They married in 2018.
Nugent’s first position with Intel involved ensuring correct financial reporting and promoting smart budgeting to support growth and identify opportunities for greater efficiency. When she was promoted to senior financial analyst in 2019, her responsibilities expanded as she oversaw a larger budget and led efforts to improve processes.
Nugent got involved with the company’s activity-planning committee and helped put together events such as holiday food drives and employee get-togethers. She even volunteered her time to teach social ballroom dance at a company Christmas party. “Another big reason I decided to take a position at Intel was because of its great sense of community,” Nugent says. “The company has a great culture of helping others.”
After giving birth to a baby girl in July 2019, Nugent took a step back from her work to become a stay-at-home mother. She says she’s grateful to undertake motherhood with a college diploma and several years of work experience under her belt. “It’s made me feel good that I’ve been able to contribute to our financial goals over the past two years,” she says. “I feel like I can use that experience to be an example to my kids.” She adds that her education will also help her be supportive of her husband throughout his career.
Looking back, Nugent feels that what she thought was an uncertain future has thus far turned out to be a “perfect puzzle” of circumstances working together for her good. “I can’t even say how much divine intervention there’s been,” she says.
