Earlier this month, New York City played host to a celebration of creativity, resilience, and empowerment as the LEGO Group brought its “She Built That” campaign to life at STORIED NYC in Chelsea.
The event was designed for kids ages 9 to 12, offering them the chance to explore different forms of building—whether through music, sports, science, or art—with the guidance of women who are leaders in their fields.
Grammy-winning artist H.E.R., Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, astrophysicist Jackie Faherty, and creator Jennifer Zhang all came together to show that building isn’t just about bricks and mortar—it’s about innovation, self-expression, and confidence.
For H.E.R., who led the Music Club, the connection between LEGO and music came naturally. She invited kids to design their own album covers using LEGO pieces, a playful but powerful reminder that creativity has no boundaries.
“Building music is a lot like building with LEGO bricks, because it starts with a good foundation,” she explained in an interview. “There’s no right way to make music. You can start with any instrument, or a beat, or the lyrics, or a melody. And when you’re finished, you get this feeling like, ‘Wow, this is something that I’m proud of, that I built.’”
Her reflections carried weight beyond the activity. H.E.R. spoke candidly about the journey of finding her own voice as a child, crediting representation and community for showing her what was possible.
She grew up studying artists like Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys, falling asleep to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and watching Keys’ MTV Unplugged on repeat. Just as important were the women closest to her—her mother, who tirelessly supported her early performances, and her aunts, who expanded her musical palette by playing everything from James Blake to Sigur Rós.
“My mom would lug around my heavy keyboard and guitar to talent shows and local festivals,” she recalled. “When I was six or seven, I started writing poems, and she compiled them and had them published when I was nine. She really paved the way for me.”
That message of possibility was echoed throughout the event. Lee, who hosted the Sports Club, shared how risk-taking and confidence shaped her journey to becoming an Olympic gymnast. “Don’t be afraid to take risks and to fully believe in yourself,” she told attendees, according to Patch.
To put those words into action, she led a team-based LEGO challenge, encouraging kids to work together while putting their personal stamp on a collective build.
Faherty brought the cosmos to Chelsea with her Science Club, teaching kids how to design their own constellations with LEGO pieces.
“It’s super fun and inspiring for these young kids to let that creative side come out and feel like they’re building the nighttime sky,” she said. Zhang, known as JENerationDIY, rounded out the programming with an Art Club centered on wearable expression. Participants built custom bracelets using LEGO elements, combining design and identity in one hands-on project.
For H.E.R., seeing creativity across so many different fields emphasized the power of self-expression. “I think it’ll open their world to possibilities,” she said. “There are so many ways you can be creative. It doesn’t have to be in arts, or music, or science, or sports—it can be in anything you want it to be. It’s important to not dim yourself for anyone, or to shrink yourself.”
The heart of the campaign is about building confidence in girls who may doubt themselves, and H.E.R. addressed that directly. She admitted to struggling with perfectionism and the pressure always to appear polished, but she now views imperfection as part of what makes her voice matter.
“What makes my voice matter is the story I have to tell. The parts of myself that I think are the worst are the best parts of me, because there’s someone else out there who feels the same way,” she said. “It only humanizes my voice and whatever I create, because I’m putting everything—the good and the bad—into that thing that I want to give to the world.”
The LEGO Group’s campaign is rooted in challenging outdated views of what it means to be a builder. Recent global research shows that most children still picture a man on a construction site when they hear the word.
Parents and children alike are more likely to associate building with masculinity rather than femininity, creating a confidence gap where girls often undervalue their abilities.
“She Built That” pushes against that stereotype by spotlighting women who build in every sense of the word—whether they’re writing songs, flipping on a balance beam, charting the stars, or crafting wearable art.
H.E.R. closed her Music Club with a symbolic reflection on her own career. If she could build anything out of LEGO bricks to represent her journey, she said it would be a mountain range.
“It would be multi-leveled, with a lot of ups and downs, because that is such a representation of my journey,” she explained. “Sometimes things feel like an uphill battle, sometimes I get in the rhythm, and sometimes I’m tired—but I know I’ve come so far I have to keep going.”
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