A dream built in bricks

By Elizabeth Egan 

When his mother would bring back toys from the United States during his early childhood in the Philippines, all Magpili would ask for was LEGO. When he didn’t have a new LEGO set to build, he would occasionally see what else he could take a part and put back together, once taking a screwdriver to his Transformers. He rebuilt the toy successfully, an early sign of his aptitude for mechanical engineering that he would study years later

An interest in space and a desire to get out of New York City led Magpili to UB. He was drawn to both aerospace and mechanical engineering. Aerospace seemed like a “dream subject” with the potential for space travel, he explained, while mechanical felt more grounded.

“I was mesmerized by the mechanics of my toys and other objects growing up,” said Magpili. “I always wanted to know more about how they worked.” Although he was interested in both subjects, Magpili admits that he had no idea what he would do with the degree.

LEGO remained a constant during his time in college—Magpili kept a three-foot-long LEGO Star Destroyer in his dorm room—but it would be years until he applied his UB education toward landing his dream job. However, Magpili did gain something unexpected at UB.

“Becoming a proud Filipino is something that I got at UB,” said Magpili, who was a member of the university’s Filipino American Student Association (FASA). “I really found the roots to my culture while in school.” 

Going into college, Magpili knew that Greek life existed, but he did not expect the opportunity to explore more than 100 clubs and communities. As a member of FASA, Magpili practiced martial arts and performed traditional Philippine dances. Having left the Philippines when he was five years old, his experiences at UB gave Magpili the opportunity to further explore what it meant to be Filipino. 

Magpili credits his participation in different extracurriculars with helping him keep his life balanced outside of the classroom. 

As a senior model designer at the LEGO Group, Magpili’s primary job is to design LEGO sets. However, he noted, there is no typical day in the life of a creative. On some days he is primarily staring at bricks, finding just the right piece that will work with his new model. After a design is completed, he must figure out how to convey the building process to his audience through instructions and box art.

When Magpili started the position, he designed sets that would never hit the shelves. Instead, he built sets for educational institutions and FIRST LEGO League competitions. 

“I remembered all the stuff that I wanted as a coach from the sets, the rules and, most importantly, what I wanted to be able to teach the kids,” said Magpili. “I was able to incorporate that experience into what I was designing.” 

He said that the ability to put himself into everything that he designs and learning something new every day are some of his favorite aspects of the job. 

“You can do something a million different ways, but I have to figure out if it will be doable for the audience, whether that be young children or adults,” said Magpili. 

In December 2023, Magpili tapped into his aerospace roots and contributed to the release of a space-themed LEGO Technic set, in a collaboration with NASA. He designed the Technic Surface Space Loader as a part of the launch that also included a Mars exploration rover and a heavy cargo spaceship.

"I was a Technic kid, and I was a space kid, so it was cool to get to make a set that was both of them,” said Magpili.

“I have been surprised at how much UB prepared me for my career,” said Magpili. “I may not have been a great student, but the engineering courses led me towards the understanding of what I do today.”

Magpili recalled enjoying a combined engineering class taught by Professor Kemper Lewis, now dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

"He put everything together and showed us how the equations for electricity, water flow and magnetism were all related. It was really amazing to me how everything was connected,” said Magpili. “So much of what I learned in my classes became a foundation of what I do today, and it has given me a lot of confidence in making decisions because I know where they are coming from.”

His experiences outside of the classroom have also stayed with him. Magpili passes down the elements of Philippine heritage that he learned at UB to his two children.

Magpili has also found connections to the Philippines through LEGO. He built Technic models of Philippine icons for the iMAKE History Fortress LEGO Education Center in the country’s capital, Manila, and worked with the Philippine Embassy in Denmark to build a model representing Singkil, a traditional Filipino dance, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

While Magpili still enjoys building new Lego sets, he noted that children in Billund often get tired of LEGO, as many of the 6,000 residents are in some way employed or associated with the company.

Through all his years of playing with LEGO, the 1,400-piece Super Street Sensation, a super car Technic set from 1999, remains his all-time favorite. Magpili credits the customizable red car with serving as the creative outlet that got him through college. At the time, Magpili had no idea that over a decade later, he would be building the same outlets for fellow LEGO enthusiasts.