When asked what led him to go from living in his hometown of Bog Walk, Jamaica, to being considered one of the top undergraduate industrial designers in the United States, Spencer Nugent points to two things: the Lord's help and a lot of hard work.

Photo by Mark Philbrick, BYU

Born to Jamaican pioneers of the Church, Spencer Nugent said his family always valued education. Now his own educational efforts have placed him as one of the top two undergraduate industrial designers in the nation.

Photo by Stuart Johnson/Deseret Morning News

Spencer, right, on BYU campus with parents Victor and Verna who are now U.S. residents living in Orem.

A graduating BYU student come Dec. 21, Spencer received a scholarship by the Industrial Designers Society of America this past summer awarded nationally to the top two undergraduates in the field.

Being industrious as well as faithful to the Lord have always been very important in the Nugent home, said Spencer.

Indeed, his father had set the example of faithfulness and hard work with a goal he set for the family more than 30 years ago.

The youngest of five, Spencer was born to Victor and Verna Nugent, the first native Jamaicans to join the Church in 1974. A year later, Victor Nugent was invited to attend general conference and tour BYU's campus.

"I was totally impressed by the way the students looked, the facilities and the spirit we felt on the campus," said Brother Nugent. "I prayed that if it was possible, that all my children would be able to come to this university. I promised to do my best to obey the commandments to receive that blessing." This he did despite obvious financial obstacles as well as a new BYU student enrollment cap at the time.

Later this month, Spencer will fulfill his father's dream of having all his children graduate from the Church-owned school. The rest of his graduated siblings, with families of their own, have already moved on to careers in fine arts, civil engineering, information systems and graphic design.

"I truly felt that if you are obedient and faithful and really believe," said Brother Nugent, "you could accomplish whatever you wish as long as it's good for you.

"I did everything I could to keep my end of the bargain," he said with a chuckle.

Although he was not yet born at the time his father set such a daunting goal, Spencer said in a Church News interview, he constantly saw as he grew up examples of faithfulness and diligence to the Lord in his parents' everyday lives.

"My dad was a pretty generous guy and was always one to help others," he said. As a branch president, he would faithfully make sure he did all he could to assist the members of his small Linstead Branch.

"We had a 15-passenger van and he would drive it around every Sunday an hour before Church to pick people up, take them to Church, and afterward he would take people home after Church."

The Nugents also made sure their children went to the best schools in Jamaica to prepare them for college.

As soon as Brother Nugent received the priesthood authority, he began blessing his children. "I did give them blessings that they would have sharp intellects and do well in school," said Brother Nugent.

In a country where education isn't free, a good education meant being thrifty with finances and working very hard. For Sister Nugent, this also meant getting up at 4 a.m. every day to drive Spencer and his siblings to school in Kingston, an hour-and-a-half drive. "Every day, she'd also be there in the afternoon to pick us up," said Spencer. "My mom was a seminary teacher so we would go straight to seminary from 5-7 p.m."

These examples have played an important role in the life of Spencer, who as an undergraduate has already had many accomplishments of his own.

After serving as a missionary in the Texas San Antonio Mission, he began attending BYU. Through various class projects and internships, Spencer designed products for such companies as GM and Intel, including a device small business owners can use to harness the computing power of their previously outdated computers.

"I want to make sure my designs have a low impact on the environment and satisfy real needs," said Spencer.

Upon finishing his studies, Spencer will begin working for Astro Studios based in San Francisco, Calif.

When asked what he will be taking with him from his studies at BYU, he said definitely the knowledge that "standards are everything. Don't budge in what you believe in because there will be people who will want to get you to break those promises you've made."

E-mail to: cmorales@desnews.com