Student Portfolio · Year 13 · Auckland, New Zealand
A Year 13 student approaching engineering, science, and leadership as interconnected disciplines. Through research competitions, founding clubs, captaining teams, and sustained community service, the aim is always the same: to build things that matter and lead people toward a shared goal.
Independent research into reduced-emission propulsion concepts. Analysing efficiency trade-offs, materials constraints, and environmental impact through a systems-level analytical approach — connecting classroom physics with real engineering problems.
Led a multidisciplinary team of 4 to 6 members through a global research and prototyping challenge. Responsible for defining the problem space, structuring the team's workload, and delivering a fully functional prototype under strict time constraints.
Built a real-time hand tracking system with emotion inference capabilities from scratch in Python. Integrated computer vision algorithms with live input processing and optimised the pipeline for consistent low-latency performance.
Team Leader for both the University of Auckland Engineering Challenge and the University of Canterbury Mechatronics Challenge. Led research-driven design phases, prototype development, and cross-functional system integration under competitive conditions.
| Role | Organisation | Contribution & Impact | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Founder & Leader |
Space Club |
Identified a gap in co-curricular offering and founded a club built around practical aerospace research. Structured it around real projects and sustained technical deliverables. Grew membership to 30+ active students. |
|
Leader |
SPECtrum STEM Club |
Leading the largest STEM club in school. Directing student-led engineering and science projects with a focus on practical outcomes, systems thinking, and measurable technical deliverables that extend beyond the standard curriculum. |
|
President |
Science Club |
Overseeing school-wide science engagement. Coordinating research activities, organising events, and building a culture of scientific curiosity across all year groups. |
|
Team Leader |
EPro8 Team |
Leading the school's competitive engineering team through EPro8 challenges. Managing strategy, coordination, and technical execution under pressure. Team placed 2nd in competition, demonstrating effective leadership in a high-stakes environment. |
|
Team Leader |
Robotics Team |
Directing the school robotics team with a focus on embedded systems, iterative engineering design, and competitive performance. Building a structured problem-solving culture within the team. |
|
Team Principal |
STEM Racing Team |
Founded the school's first-ever STEM Racing team from the ground up. Responsible for the full programme: technical design, team selection, sponsorship discussions, and race-day operations. A new initiative bridging engineering and motorsport. |
|
House Captain |
Kea Kainga — Student Leader |
Elected house captain with responsibilities covering school culture, student wellbeing, event planning, and cross-house representation. A pastoral and organisational leadership role operating at school-wide level. |
|
Member |
Executive Council |
Contributing to school-wide governance, policy development, and strategic planning as a student representative on the Executive Council. Formally involved in institutional decision-making at the highest student level. |
|
Service Director |
Interact Club |
Managing stakeholder coordination, resource allocation, and long-term community service initiatives across two years. Accumulated over 250 hours of documented volunteer service through sustained programme management. |
|
Air Cadet |
New Zealand Air Cadets |
Three years of active participation in the NZAC programme. Developing aviation knowledge, discipline, and leadership through structured training — maintained consistently alongside a full academic and co-curricular schedule. |
International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics — qualified to the semi-finals, representing a high level of achievement in astrophysics and observational astronomy.
New Zealand Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics — selected to participate in the national-level olympiad programme.
Competitive engineering challenge recognising rapid problem-solving, prototyping, and team coordination under timed, high-pressure conditions.
Selected by organisers for a creative and technically original submission — an independently developed game project.
English writing competition recognising communication excellence and the ability to craft well-structured, persuasive written work.
Led the school team through a global NASA hackathon, producing a research-driven prototype addressing a real-world space challenge.
Team leader in the multi-disciplinary university engineering competition, coordinating the full design, build, and testing cycle.
Team leader in the Canterbury mechatronics competition, focused on systems integration, robotics, and embedded control under competitive conditions.
Achieved Excellence Endorsement at Level 1, demonstrating consistently high performance across all assessed subjects at the national qualification level.
Achieved Excellence Endorsement at Level 2 with 40 Excellence credits, maintaining a strong record of academic distinction across two levels.
Awarded for supporting the school in multidisciplinary ways — recognising contributions spanning academics, leadership, and community engagement.
Awarded for contributing to the school community across many areas, demonstrating sustained commitment to collective progress and school culture.
Recognised for sustained community leadership and meaningful contribution to school and wider community service initiatives over an extended period.
Acknowledged for consistent peer support and collaborative contribution, making a positive impact on those around them within the school environment.
Appointed as an SVA Ambassador, representing student volunteering values and promoting community engagement and civic responsibility at school level.
International Physics Ambassador — representing the school in the global physics community and encouraging scientific engagement among students.
Currently seeking scholarships, grants, mentorship, and opportunities to contribute to aerospace engineering and scientific research. Available for conversations with universities, research organisations, and industry professionals.