Nick Kardos’ description of himself started simple enough. “Very quiet,” he said.

His attire said a lot about who he is, though. He wore a t-shirt with characters from the cartoon “Regular Show” on it, and two necklaces, one a cross made of nails and the other a shield housing a tiny mustard seed (a reference to Matthew 17:20).

While soft-spoken, Kardos, a 21-year-old senior animation major from Kent, Ohio, has a fervent passion for animation and is a devoted Anglican Christian.

Kardos has a YouTube channel called “FancyPantsBionicle.” Most videos entail short but fastidiously-crafted stop-motion animations starring Bionicle action figures, which are construction toys made by The LEGO Group. His most recent upload, “Bionicle Great Sword Fight,” features about a minute and a half of toy-to-toy combat.

“As a kid, Bionicles were a big part of my life, and so were all other LEGOs,” Kardos said.

He has been making these stop-motion animations – which are made through strung-together photos of progressively manipulated objects – for four years, which was before he started college. He was initially self-taught, through online tutorials. “Stop-motion is very repetitive, but it helps me focus on something and chill out for a little bit,” Kardos said.

Kardos has always been a Christian. “God has always played a big part in my life,” he said.

He’s been involved with the Body Christian Fellowship, an on-campus group, since he was a freshman. “I was surprised to find how many Christians there are on campus,” Kardos said.

In conjunction with maintaining his hobbies, academic work and religious practices, Kardos has made a lot of friends.

“It was a really big adjustment because I’m from out of state and didn’t know anyone,” he said. “But I’ve just had a really good time.”

Reporting contributed by Carley Bonk, Co-Features Editor.