Meet the only female master builder at Legoland New York, who spends her days creating everything from mermaids to snowmen

• Danielle Ross is Legoland New York Resort's first and only female master builder.
• Her typical day involves working with thousands of Legos to build everything from mermaids to snowmen. 
• Her goal is to expand representation across the park's 15,000 Lego models. 

A year ago, Danielle Ross had never played with Legos. 

"I had never used a Lego set, I'd never built a Lego set, and I had never even owned one," Ross, 25, told Insider.

But in April 2021, that changed when she was hired as Legoland New York Resort's first and only woman master builder.

Ross said her creative background in sculpting mermaid tails along with construction and administrative experience landed her a spot on the seven-person team. 

Now, Ross' entire job revolves around the once-unfamiliar colorful bricks. As a master builder, it's her responsibility to maintain the park's 15,000 Lego models as well as brainstorm new additions. 

Here's a look at a day in her life.

Ross' day revolves around creativity from the start

Each morning, Ross travels from her New York home to the 150-acre resort in the Hudson Valley.

The moment she steps inside the park, she's greeted by 30 million Lego bricks. There's a water playground, life-size Lego animals, and Miniland, which are interactive Lego-built cities that mimic the real world. 

"It's absolutely the most exciting place I've ever been," she said about the park.

Each day, Ross walks around the park. She'll chat with visitors, but her main focus is on the models, she said. Part of Ross' job is to make sure everything is in its proper place and nothing has broken.

Since the park is constructed of Lego bricks, Ross said it's common for structures to fall or Legos to break off. If a model has broken, Ross or another master builder will either rebuild it on-site or bring it back to the Lego shop for repair.

If she's not fixing broken Lego models, she's designing new ones

Next, she'll work on the key part of her job — adding new Lego models to the park. 

Ross said all five master builders have the freedom to build and design around their interests. "It just starts with creativity," she said.

One of Ross' passions is mermaids. When not working at Legoland, she said she's typically designing, sculpting, and casting her own mermaid tails out of silicone. She uses the functional mermaid tails to dress up for events and children's birthday parties. 

Her whimsical interest led to her most recent Lego creation — an entire mermaid city, which is set to debut in the park this spring.

Once Ross has an idea, she first designs the model on her computer and plans what to build. For her mermaid city, she brainstormed elements like a sunken pirate ship, treasure chest, divers, aquatic animals, and, of course, mermaids. 

Then, Ross starts building. She uses the techniques she's learned on the job, like the Lowell-sphere approach, which is when you take rectangular blocks and create a round structure. She'll also work with other teams. For the mermaid city, Ross said the animation team is helping her create moving features.

When Ross finishes her work in the shop, she'll start assembling it on-site. Often, visitors will spot master builders working on their projects during operating hours.

Between working with Legos, Ross bonds with coworkers and collects toys

Since starting last April, Ross said she's also become close with her male coworkers. There's a team of seven people — five master builders, a manager, and a technical builder — and they typically all eat lunch together in the shop. During these breaks, they might watch the latest movie trailer or discuss a TV show, she said.

After work, Ross's creativity doesn't stop. If she's not working on her latest mermaid tail, Ross said she might crochet, make jewelry, or build Legos — which is now a hobby, too. Her entire attic is dedicated to her toy collection, which includes both new and vintage Lego sets. 

Ross said she's focused on creating a diverse Legoland

When Ross arrived at Legoland, she said she spotted opportunities to add diversity to Miniland and got to work "designing people of all different creeds, races, religions, and ethnic groups." For instance, there weren't Muslim Minilanders, so she added those to the resort. 

For Pride Month last summer, Ross create a Pride parade that filled the replica of New York City. 

Ross said that she wants anyone who comes to Legoland to be able to "see themselves represented." 

"If a little kid comes through and sees a Minilander who looks like them, that'll just make their experience even more magical and memorable," she said.

One of her favorite memories was when a teenager saw herself represented in the Pride parade Ross was building. 

"[She] noticed that one of the Minilanders represented her in the Pride parade," Ross said. "It brought the biggest smile to my face."

Ross' advice for other girls and women is simple 

"Just go for it," she said.

Ross urged girls and women to continue being creative, and if there's something that piques their interest, don't hesitate to explore it, she said.

For women entering the creative industry, Ross also suggested making a portfolio early in your career. 

Ross, for example, had a varied resume when she applied to the Legoland New York Resort. She had experience using tools and doing construction and even had her own company performing as a mermaid alongside prior administrative work.

"It all came together as a perfect storm to bring me here to Legoland," she said. 

"Keep being creative and keep having fun because that's the most important thing about being a master model builder," she said. "If you're worried that you're not good enough, you are. You are enough, and you can do it."