Abraham Virgen Gonzalez (BS, mechanical engineering, 2020) never imagined that he would get to design toys for a living. But in August 2025, the Eagle, Idaho, native moved to Denmark to begin his role as a product designer for the LEGO Group.
Gonzalez discovered his passion for LEGO experiences® as an adult, getting his first LEGO set just three years ago. At the time, Gonzales was working for his family’s construction business and contemplating his long-term goals. He began to build LEGO sets as a hobby.
“I was bored one day, went to the store, got a set,” Gonzalez said. “I thought it was a lot of fun. I used to take a lot of art classes when I was growing up, whether it was drawing or pottery, and LEGO experiences helped re-ignite that creativity that I had deep within me.”
A creative soul and engineering graduate, Gonzalez found that his LEGO building skills improved quickly. He started winning LEGO design competitions. Then he entered a competition with a unique first-place prize: a trip to visit LEGO headquarters in Billund, Denmark. For the competition, Gonzalez designed a LEGO workspace featuring miniatures of his own LEGO creations. Gonzalez’s submission to the contest was rushed, he said. He had only a month to complete it, and he never expected to win. But a month later, he got the call: he had won, and he was going to Denmark.
Photo provided by Abraham Virgen Gonzalez
On his visit to LEGO headquarters, Gonzalez met LEGO designers and experienced the workplace culture of the company. He said he felt right at home. When he came back to Boise, he noticed a job opening for a product designer at the LEGO Group. He applied, and after several rounds of interviews, he had an offer letter.
“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” he said. “As a kid, you dream of designing toys for a living. To achieve everyone’s childhood dream is incredible.”
In his new job, Gonzalez has a hand in creating new LEGO play experiences that kids and adults around the world will enjoy.
“Every artist wants to inspire others with their work,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to the point where something I was making would reach so many people. That it would inspire their imagination just like I was inspired by the first LEGO set I picked up.”
Gonzalez partially credits his mechanical engineering degree for his success in obtaining a dream role.
“In engineering, you do a lot of planning when it comes to projects,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of LEGO building is trial and error, and a lot of things in engineering are the same way: you’ve got to break stuff to make it better.”
Perhaps even more valuable to Gonzalez’s success is his confidence. Before attending Boise State, Gonzalez said, he was more reserved and less open to meeting new people. His involvement in intramural soccer, the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. and working on projects with fellow engineering students helped bring him out of his shell.
“Participating in everything I could while I was at Boise State helped me express my personality easier to others,” Gonzales said. “Ultimately, to work at a company like the LEGO Group, they care about your technical skills, but they also really care about who you are as a person.”
Gonzales said his advice for current Boise State students is to pursue what truly inspires them.
“You’re not going to know what will happen if you don’t try.”
by Kara Killinger