Designing Dreams: UC co-op student takes his talents to Lego

CityScene, a publication based in Columbus, Ohio, featured UC co-op student Adam Wolshire in the latest edition. Wolshire, a fifth-year industrial design student, shared his experience working for the world’s largest toy manufacturer, Lego, based in Billund, Denmark.

While on co-op at Lego, Wolshire got a chance to do something he’s enjoyed since he was toddler: creating models with Lego bricks. Wolshire was a concept model designer who worked with other designers to create innovative prototype models.

The Dublin native described working for Lego as his dream job.

“I don’t really think I’ve ever worked in a place where the people care as much about what they do, as much as they do at Lego,” Wolshire told CityScene.

The Lego Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen as a wooden toy company. The Lego brick was first introduced in 1958. Today Lego has expanded into movies, theme parks and video games, but the colorful plastic bricks remain Lego’s most popular product.

Co-op is one of UC’s differentiators when it comes to providing a top notch education.

In 2024-25, students participating in paid co-op opportunities earned a collective $94 million or a 6% increase over last year’s total reported wages.  More than 8,300 students held co-op placements with more than 1,700 employers.

On average, co-ops earned $11,220 per student per semester — an amount that significantly offsets the cost of tuition.

UC is ranked among the top 5 schools nationally in cooperative education, according to US News and World Report.

Read about Wolshire in CityScene online and on UC’s website.

Learn more about cooperative education at UC online.

Top featured image of Adam Wolshire seated at a desk with lego bricks. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.