A simple picture can be turned into a Lego creation on the website known as BricKIT.

This website was creatively designed and is run by Shaun Vanweelden, a senior in software engineering. BricKIT allows the user to take any image on their computer and create a mosaic of that image.

Vanweelden’s love for Legos began at an early age.

“I’ve always been a big a fan of Lego bricks since I can remember,” Vanweelden said.

When Vanweelden was a junior in high school, he wanted to make mosaics electronically. However, there was no software available that would make a mosaic he enjoyed.

“There was nothing online that was really doing it, I guess,” Vanweelden said.

BricKIT began as an idea, which soon became a reality.

By his freshman year at Iowa State, he created a rough prototype with help in one of his engineering classes. In that same year, he traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to lead a team of web developers at a conference called “StartUp Weekend.”

Kien Nguyen, a sophomore in computer science, was one of the web developers Vanweelden met at the conference.

“[Vanweelden] pitched the idea about BricKIT at that time, and I really liked it. So, I joined his team to transfer that idea to the real product. We got to talking during that weekend and we both knew we would also be in some classes together,” Nguyen said.

During high school, BricKIT was only one of the ideas Vanweelden would pursue.

“As soon as I turned 18, I actually started my own business buying and selling Lego bricks online,” Vanweelden said.

He would purchase the Lego bricks in bulk from the Chicago area, and sell them individually. He said that his experience running a business taught him a lot about how to deal with customers.

This sparked the idea of a true entrepreneurial opportunity in his eyes.

“I really loved it, and I was kind of hooked,” Vanweelden said.

Creating jewelry out of those tiny blocks was next on his agenda.

“I started to make jewelry out of Lego bricks — like actual earrings [and] necklaces that I would sell at craft shows,” Vanweelden said.

He accredits his influences to other students at Iowa State from the start of his business.

“Having that experience right away at such a young age has prepared me to do well with entrepreneurship activities,” Vanweelden said.

Nguyen believes Vanweelden can grow as a thinker and entrepreneur with the skills he has.

“He has patience, creativity, is hardworking, is organized and [has] communication skills that I wish I had. He has a solid background in all the basic technologies in web development,” Nguyen said.

At Iowa State, Vanweelden has found many other students in the software engineering program who enjoy playing with Lego bricks.

“It kind of goes with the culture,” Vanweelden said.

He has came across other software engineers in interviews that have expressed their interest in Lego bricks, sparking up conversation.

“A lot of the places I’ve worked at or had interviews with would say ‘Oh yeah I love Legos, too,’” Vanweelden said.

The connection of Lego bricks and his success is a strong one.

“It seems to be a very popular thing for people who write software, [that] they also like to play with Legos,” Vanweelden.

There are different features on BricKIT than merely uploading a picture from your desktop, too.

The paint-can feature allows the user to fill the area with colors to draw, he said.

“I was on his team making that web application exist to make the app more complete and prettier. Of course, we were all very satisfied with what we’ve made,” Nguyen said.

The communication Vanweelden has learned from the business continues to help him in events such as FIRST Lego League.

“[Vanweelden] cares about what he loves, what he likes to do and what he can bring to our lives to make it better. Since I met Shaun, I’ve participated in a lot more programming competitions and more volunteer activities,” Nguyen said.

Of the volunteer activities, FIRST Lego League hits close to home for Vanweelden.

Iowa State held the state championship for the FIRST Lego League last semester, where elementary and middle school children are exposed to the science and technology of robotics. This day-long event is a way for these students to broadcast their Lego-robots and designs, where they will be judged and scored.

Not only partaking in the event himself, but his experience working with experts in the science field, has allowed him to achieve better skills in a workplace lifestyle.

“I got to talk with employers, as well, which is really nice to help prepare me,” Vanweelden said.

He participated in FIRST Lego League in middle school and began volunteering at the event after entering high school.

He also helped set up the regional championships, showing his extreme passion for Lego pieces and the innovations of creation.

As for updates on BricKIT, time seems to be the only thing slowing Vanweelden down.

“Time is always a big issue, so if I have time, I plan to update it,” he said.

Nguyen has plans for the website, as well, relating to the newer generation.

“I want to have that web app integrated in some major social networks nowadays, like Facebook or Snapchat, so people can share [with] each other the mosaics they have,” Nguyen said.

The desire and determination that Vanweelden possesses continues to keep him going in business, school and life.

“If you can dream it, you really can build it,” he said.