Meet Maddie: Future Mechanical Engineer

Sixth-grader Maddie loves constructing things — she plans to make the world more unique through her designs. 

I really like architecture, which is why I like to play with Legos. It’s important to know how to build something up again when it falls down. When something built with Legos breaks apart, you can just turn it into something new. I transformed a helicopter into a sailboat once. When I was younger I got some Lego sets, and ever since I started building I fell in love with it. Not only was it fun, but it involved patience — something I was trying to teach myself. I became more focused, too. Everything I’ve created with Legos has been wonderful, even if it’s just a giant blob...because I created it, and it’s unique to me.

I want to be a mechanical engineer when I grow up. Building things gives me a sense of peace; it gives me a chance to concentrate on something for a long time. I can create anything, and that’s exhilarating. I feel exhilarated right now, being here at EXPLO. My brain is pumping with ideas. This place is an inspiration for anything. That fountain over there is inspiring. It gives me an engineering idea right now. If it was reversed, and the fountain could suck up things like tossed-in pennies, and then dropped the pennies in a well at the middle. I would love to redesign it to make it more special.