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Inside a classroom at Milwaukee Marshall High School, the sound of Lego bricks clicking together filled the room as children leaned over tables covered with colorful pieces and half-finished builds.

As they pieced together their creations, Nealita Nelson, the instructor behind the popular Milwaukee Recreation Lego classes, moved from desk to desk encouraging students to keep building. 

Nelson, a Milwaukee native known online as “Builds by Nene,” began teaching Lego-building classes through MKE Rec after appearing on Season 4 of Fox’s “LEGO Masters” in 2023 alongside her brother, Paul Wellington.

A small yellow toy head with a smiling face sits on a wooden table, with containers of building blocks blurred in the background.
A Lego minifigure head sits on a table with several containers of bricks before Nealita Nelson’s MKE Rec class.

Jeff McAvoy, whose 7-year-old son has been attending Nelson’s classes since they began two years ago, expressed his admiration for her teaching style. 

“It comes down to a simple shared interest in Lego and building, but she approaches it with such care and interest in what each of the kids are doing,” McAvoy said.

A person carries three clear storage bins filled with building blocks in a classroom, with additional bins lined up on tables.
Nealita Nelson sets down containers full of Lego bricks while setting up for her MKE Rec class.
A clear plastic bin holds red building blocks and pieces, with a few blue connector pieces visible among them.
A container full of Lego bricks sits on a table.
A white box decorated with colorful drawings and the text "Drop your Legos here" sits beside two yellow bags displaying the LEGO logo.
Several Lego bags and a box of blocks sit on a counter.

Nelson’s classes are typically divided by age groups, welcoming everyone from young children to adult builders:

  • LEGO Open Build (Designed for ages 3+): Focuses on beginner basics, open building zones and simple challenges.
  • LEGO Adventures: Encourages participants to step outside their comfort zones with complex, guided builds.
  • Learning LEGO (Designed for ages 13 to adults): Covers the history of Lego, advanced building techniques and creative design.
A person's hand holds brown and tan building blocks above a bin filled with similar pieces.
Nealita Nelson picks through a container full of Lego bricks.
A person with long curly hair and glasses places a building piece on a table covered with assembled models and loose blocks in a room with a door and a clock partially visible.
Nealita Nelson builds a Lego set.

For Nelson, Lego-building classes are about much more than play or building toys.

“I see the need for help, and I see the need to get these kids out from in front of screens,” Nelson said. “I feel like it was my duty to give back to my community that helped me when I was younger.”

A person with long curly hair and glasses sits in a classroom behind a row of model cars and other assembled figures displayed on tables.
Nealita Nelson poses for a portrait with some of her Lego collection before her class at MKE Rec.

Raised on Milwaukee’s North Side, Nelson and Wellington spent a lot of their childhood building together, before their almost 10-year age gap inevitably drew them apart.

Two people wearing glasses and yellow shirts stand among large building blocks in a promotional graphic with text reading "MEET PAUL AND NEALITA" and "LEGO MASTERS THURSDAY SEPT 28."
Paul Wellington and Nealita Nelson on the set of “LEGO Masters” Season 4. (Courtesy of Nealita Nelson)

Their close relationship became an advantage on “LEGO Masters,” where the siblings advanced in the competition, becoming third-place finalists.

“We’re both very different people. It helps bring out our best qualities and we’re able to work together well,” said Wellington, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum. “I’m very timid. She pushed me to believe in myself and that led us to succeed.”

The siblings competed again, this time internationally, on “LEGO Masters: Grand Masters of the Galaxy” in Australia in 2025. They also were the first all-Black team in the U.S. version of “LEGO Masters” to win a challenge.

Nelson said they intentionally incorporated a few references to the city and state into their builds throughout the competitions.

“When we were doing the TV shows, we tried to incorporate something from Milwaukee or something that symbolizes Wisconsin as a whole,” Nelson said. “In the first episode, we did the dairy boat.”

A person holds building blocks at a table with an instruction sheet and more pieces spread across the surface.
Nealita Nelson puts away Lego bricks during her class.
A cardboard box contains colorful building blocks, toy vehicle parts, wheels and base plates piled together.
A container full of Lego pieces sits on a table.

While Nelson currently works in health care, she continues to build her public identity through her social media presence and Lego-building classes with MKE Rec.

“I felt like this was my calling, this is my passion. I love Lego,” Nelson said.

Registration for Nelson’s summer Lego-building sessions are open now until the first week of classes on June 22. You can register here.

A person with long curly hair leans over a table displaying model cars while two children look at and point toward the models in a classroom.
Arlo Martin, left, 6, and his sister Nell, 3, play with Nealita Nelson during her class at MKE Rec.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a photojournalist as well as a Report for America corps member and Catchlight Local fellow. Before coming to Milwaukee, he spent two years as a photographer at one of America’s oldest daily newspapers, The Blade, in Toledo, Ohio. Aguilar grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from DePaul University and his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism.