About
Thank you for taking the time to visit my portfolio!
I'm a well-rounded engineer and technical creative with specialities in computer science and embedded systems, particularly in automation for the theme-park industry. After graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, I completed a project at Shanghai Disneyland where I had a leading role in developing and testing the software for a best-in-class roller coaster.
In my free time I've continued learning through video lectures — picking up the fundamentals of iOS development with Swift and of Unity. I'm especially interested in virtual reality and believe it has the potential to revolutionise content delivery. I also study game design and have developed two board games.
My hobbies outside of work include electronics tinkering, web development, game design, playing music, biking, and photography. I also do motivational speaking from time to time.
History
I was born in Hong Kong in 1988 and immigrated to the United States in 1998, as my parents wanted better educational opportunities for me and my sister. After graduating from Westmoor High School in the class of 2006, I attended Skyline College and City College of San Francisco to pursue my B.S. While there, I developed an interest in robotics, embedded systems, and computer programming. I later moved to Southern California to attend UCLA and have been in Los Angeles since.
It's my hope that I'll be able to continue my studies in mechatronics, with a future career goal of being a senior engineer at a research and development lab.
Courses
Game Development and Mobile
- Make Virtual Reality Games in C# with Unity — Ben Tristem
- The Complete iOS 8 and Swift Course — Rob Percival
Automation Systems
- ControlLogix PLC Programming and Configuration — Rockwell Automation
- Siemens S7 PLC Programming and Configuration — Siemens
Talks
Public speaking is one of my hobbies, and I've often jumped at the chance to share what I've learned — professionally and personally — with others. I've given numerous talks on leadership and building impactful change to engineers and high-school students, both domestically and internationally.
- Building Your Brand — Getting hired as a new grad
- Building a High-Performance Student Chapter ↗ — Anecdotes and advice for new officers
- Everyday Leadership for Engineers ↗ — Modern philosophies on leadership
- This is UCLA IEEE (2015) ↗ — Dissecting the success of the OPS Program
- Getting Started with Python ↗ — From Hello World to APIs
- We, The Optimists ↗ — The mindset towards building a great anything
Recognition
HSSEAS Featured Student
Selected by the UCLA School of Engineering as an exemplary student in the Electrical Engineering department for 2012. Link ↗
Student Group of the Year
Under my leadership as Project Manager (2010–2011) and President (2011–2012), UCLA IEEE grew to better serve the EE community on campus and received the ESUC Student Group of the Year award two years running. Website ↗
Ingenuity
My team and I won first place in an annual Rube Goldberg engineering competition against other student groups — featured on the front page of the Daily Bruin. Link ↗
Creativity
An avid percussion player, I performed with a band of UCLA engineers in the annual Engineering Talent Show and received 3rd place in 2011. Video ↗
"Leo is one of the finest students and colleagues I have dealt with in my nine years of teaching at UCLA. He combines great personality, creativity, and leadership with a true hardware geek's passions. I believe that he is happiest when he is working on a new hardware project."