How would you introduce yourself in one sentence?

I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and leave something behind bigger than myself.

Why did you choose to study electrical engineering?

I chose to study engineering because I thought it was the best path I could take to use my skills to help make a difference in the world. My goal has always been to achieve something meaningful, and I believe that by using my engineering skills I can truly do this. I believe I can combine my engineering and interpersonal skills to become an engineer who positively impacts the industry.

In which projects have you been involved in and outside of university?

A major part of studying Electrical and Electronic engineering at the University of Auckland is working as part of a team to produce a product which meets a given brief. I love this kind of work because it emulates real world scenarios and does not limit all our learning to pure bookwork.

Uni Projects

• 2020 Smart Energy Challenge Winner (group)– ELECTENG 209 – University of Auckland/ DATMARS: The design and construction of a smart energy meter measuring the power consumption of a resistive load before Bluetoothing the measurements to a web page for display.
• 2021 Rear Lamp Communication Winner (group) – ELECTENG 310 – University of Auckland/ HELLA NZ: The design and construction of a transmitter and receiver, to transmit car speed data between vehicles using the brake lights of the vehicle.
• 2021 A Pocket-Sized Power Supply Winner (group) – ELECTENG 311 – University of Auckland/ Fisher and Paykel: The design and construction of a flyback converter.
• 2022 Small-Scale Energy Harvesting Part IV Project: The exploration of the viability of small-scale energy harvesting in remote locations.

Personal Projects

In my spare time I enjoy doing my own personal projects which align with my interests outside of university. I am personally a huge Star Wars fan and also have a huge interest in the gaming industry, not just in the engineering side but in the concept and storytelling side as well. I find that having these interests which are different to what I study help to keep my mind busy, but also let me relax.

• Custom Lightsaber Design and Build: Concept art, CAD Design, 3-D Printing and construction of a custom lightsaber (ongoing).
• edX – CS50’s Introduction to Game Development: A case study approach to game development using Lua and Love2D followed by C# and Unity for 2D and 3D game development (ongoing).

How would you like to contribute to the electricity supply industry in the future?

Personally, I would love to see the advancements we can make in the space industry make a positive impact on the electricity supply industry. The space industry is currently working on the leading edge of technology, and my hope is that the things we learn there, will positively impact the future of the engineering industry.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to high school students wanting to start a degree in engineering? And to university students wanting to specialise in power engineering?

Follow your passion – if your job is what you enjoy doing, then it isn’t a job, it’s more of a hobby which you get paid for! It’s so much easier to get out of bed every morning to go and do something you love, so why wouldn’t you find a job that you love?