Faith Howe loves Lego.
“When I get building, I just lose myself in the Lego and hours could have passed and I won’t have noticed,” she says.
Through a senior projects elective at Oromocto High School, Howe was able to turn her hobby into a lasting legacy in the halls of what will soon be her alma mater.
Howe used Lego blocks to create depictions of the Oromocto First Nations, the Pride flag, her high school symbol, as well as others.
Her teacher, Natalie Momberquette, wasn’t surprised she pitched something made with Lego.
“I remember she made a hospital in the spring of Grade 9,” Momberquette says. “I knew it was her passion, she knew it was her passion so she was so excited to have a lot of time to be able to pursue that and create something for the school.”
Months, as it were.
Howe began drafting her design in September. When it came to the three-week build process, she outsourced to other students.
“People could come and build them at lunch when I was set up.”
Senior projects at OHS
“We’ve been offering senior projects at Oromocto High School for about four years,” says Momberquette.
“I’ve had a lot of amazing projects,” she adds, “but certainly this is one of the most impressive projects we’ve seen.”
Howe says the idea for hers was a no-brainer.
“The options are pretty much limitless,” she says of the criteria for the project. “Lego is a really big thing for me, and I wanted to be able to add it to my portfolio so that in the future I can use this to help me get a job.”
That’s right, the six-by-six-foot mosaic Howe conceptualized could actually help her land a job.
Her dream job.
Building a career
Lego has two options for people who want to profit from their pastime: certified Lego professionals and master builders.
Certified Lego professionals are licensed through Lego to run small businesses based on the bricks.
“Lego will supply the pieces because you’re working under them,” explains Howe. “So you don’t have to worry about that as much, which is a huge help because it’s really hard to get ahold of the exact pieces you need.”
Lego master builders are a little different.
“You work under Lego where you build things for Lego specifically, and it gets put in Legoland or Lego House, all over the world.”
Howe already has plans for her first brick-based entrepreneurial venture after she graduates from Oromocto High School.
“After this project, I learned a lot about creating faces with Lego,” she says. “I’ve had a few people request for me to do a portrait of them.
“I’m going to start my own Lego portrait business.”
As for the mosaic, Howe says some of the teachers at OHS have volunteered to get it framed.
It will then hang in the administration lobby for years to come, while Howe chases her dream of becoming a certified master builder.
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