Year 12 · Indooroopilly State High School · Brisbane, QLD

Leo Zheng

A high-achieving student who builds things that serve people — from bilingual school-news software for Auckland families to a lidar-powered railway safety system. Engineering, sport, music and service to my community.

Leo Zheng holding his U16 Boys Doubles Winners certificate from Browns Bay Racquets Club

About me

I was born in Ontario, Canada, in 2009, and hold Canadian and New Zealand citizenship. I have lived and studied in Canada, the United States (two years) and New Zealand, and moved to Queensland in December 2024, where I now live as a New Zealand citizen on a Special Category Visa (subclass 444).

Growing up across three countries taught me to adapt quickly, listen carefully, and connect people from different backgrounds. That experience shapes everything I do — whether I'm translating school news for Mandarin-speaking families, arguing a case in a state debating final, or designing a sensor that keeps commuters safe.

What I love is engineering — designing and building things that solve a real problem — alongside the parts of life that keep me balanced: sport, music, and serving my community. Each one teaches something the others don't: persistence on the court, listening in an ensemble, and responsibility when people are counting on you.

Academic excellence

University study · Jan 2026 – present

Enhanced Studies Program — university-level mathematics

Selected as a high-achieving Year 12 student to study a first-year university course concurrently with high school.

Course: Calculus & Linear Algebra I

Indooroopilly SHS · 2025

A results in five subjects

  • Advanced Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Science
  • Engineering

Queensland Debating Union · 2025

State Grand Finalist (Runner-Up)

Ranked 2nd out of 77 Year 11 teams across Queensland in the QDU State Competition.

Australian Mathematics Competition · 2025

Distinction

Senior Division, Year 11.

Problem Solving Competition · 2025

Commendation — Top Student in School

Year 11 Section. Named top student at Indooroopilly State High School in the 2025 Problem Solving Competition.

Westlake Boys High School, NZ

Distinction (2nd) — Year 10 Mathematics

Also a member of the Westlake Extension Programme for academically gifted students (2022 – 2024).

Engineering projects

Software · JavaScript · Community volunteering

Auckland School Newsletter Hub

An automated platform that publishes weekly English–Mandarin bilingual newsletters for several leading Auckland high schools. It collects each school's news, translates it, and presents it in one place so Chinese-speaking parents can stay involved in their children's education.

The project grew out of my volunteer role as administrator of Westlake Boys High School's WeChat platform — I wanted to turn a weekly manual task into a service that could help families across many schools.

Visit schoolhub.remotetext.com →

Hardware + software · Public safety

Railway Platform Edge Approach Alert

A safety prototype that warns passengers who cross the yellow line at the edge of a train platform.

Screenshot of the Platform Edge Alert monitoring dashboard showing a radar sweep, the yellow line and live status readouts
  1. 1
    Detect — an RPLIDAR C1 laser scanner monitors the danger zone beyond the yellow line.
  2. 2
    Verify — an intrusion triggers a camera; image processing confirms whether a person is really approaching the edge.
  3. 3
    Alert — if confirmed, a speaker plays a spoken warning message.

Live demo: platform.remotetext.com/monitor — sign in with the demo account demo / demo.

View on GitHub →

Full-stack web · Next.js · E-commerce

AussieBikes — online bike store

A complete e-commerce storefront for bicycles sold across Australia: a browsable catalogue across six categories (road, mountain, electric, hybrid, gravel and kids), product pages, a shopping cart, and a secure Stripe checkout.

Building it meant handling the parts of a real shop that customers never see — product data, cart state, payment flow and shipping rules — and it grew directly out of my hands-on hobby of repairing and maintaining bikes.

Visit bike.thesecurecyber.com →

Hands-on hobbies

I run a small bike repair "shop" to keep commuter bikes on the road, and I restring badminton and tennis racquets for myself and teammates.

Community service & leadership

Serving my community is where I feel most useful — using my languages, organisation and technical skills to help others.

2023 – present

WeChat Platform Administrator — Westlake Boys High School

Managed the school's WeChat digital communications, bridging cultural and language gaps for a community of 600+ parents. This work led directly to building the Auckland School Newsletter Hub.

2024

Team Manager — Browns Bay Racquets Club U18 A Tennis Interclub Team

Managed the team and organised tournaments while competing as an interclub player.

2017 – 2024

Volunteer — Ambury Regional Park Farm Day, Auckland

Eight consecutive years helping run a large public open day.

2016

Volunteer — Long Bay Regional Park Tree Planting, Auckland

Environmental restoration planting.

Sport, music & the arts

🏆
U16 Boys Doubles Winner
Browns Bay Racquets Club, 2023/24 season
🥈
Silver Medal
North Harbour Table Tennis Association Term 2 League, 2020
🏓
A-Reserve Grade Player
North Harbour Table Tennis, 2022 – 2024

Australia

  • Badminton team member, Indooroopilly State High School
  • Weekly tennis in Brisbane (Wednesday nights, 2025 – present)
  • Regular social badminton in Brisbane

New Zealand — Sport

  • Browns Bay Racquets Club U18 A Tennis interclub team (2024)
  • Westlake North Harbour interschools tennis league team (2024)
  • Hoop33 Basketball Academy (2024)
  • Westlake Boys High School Swim Team (2024)
  • Balmoral Badminton Club (2017 – 2024)
  • North Harbour Table Tennis — junior leagues to A-Reserve (2020 – 2024)

New Zealand — Music & Arts

  • Flute — Westlake Boys High School Concert Band
  • Westlake Symphonic Band (2024)
  • "Momentum" Choir (2024)
  • Cast member, The Three Musketeers, Westlake production (2023 – 2024)

Music & performance

Flute in the concert band, choir, and theatre — performing has taught me discipline, listening, and how to hold my nerve in front of an audience.

Singing with the school choir at a concert — the programme included works by David N. Childs and Arthur Sullivan. I also play flute in the Westlake Boys High School Concert Band.
School choir performing on stage beside a grand piano
On stage for "Cigno Voce" — one of the pieces in our concert programme.
Concert hall stage lit in purple with a large pipe organ behind a massed choir
Singing in a massed choir, pipe organ lit behind the stage.

Ensembles & productions

Flute — Westlake Boys High School Concert Band · Westlake Symphonic Band (2024) · "Momentum" Choir (2024) · Cast member, The Three Musketeers, Westlake production (2023 – 2024)

Awards & certificates

The record behind the results.

Looking ahead

My goal is to study engineering — to take the projects I've built in my own time and learn to design systems properly, at the scale where they can help a lot of people.

Alongside that I intend to keep doing what I do now: competing in sport, playing and singing in ensembles, and volunteering for the communities I belong to.

Get in touch

I'd be glad to share more about my studies, projects or community work.