IND student Kathleen Mendez awarded with Hillsborough Restore & Create Scholarship at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance
By Nina Tabios
True car enthusiasts can appreciate automotive design’s past and look forward to its future. For over 60 years, the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance gave passionate vintage car collectors a forum to showcase their prized vehicles and cultivate the next generation of auto aficionados, including students from the School of Industrial Design (IND) at Academy of Art University.
The annual event is held at the Crystal Springs Golf Course and this year, on July 21, the showcase featured pristine vintage roadsters and coupes, muscle cars and wagons. An all-day affair, the event includes announcing the recipient of the Hillsborough Restore & Create Scholarship, which is awarded to the IND student who came up with an impressive automotive restoration project or transportation concept.
This year’s winner was Kathleen Mendez, whose entry featured two vehicle concepts. Mendez’s concept “tried to image an automobile that met a person’s daily routine as well as a car that shows personality and authenticity.”
“I am very grateful for the award because it shows you can do it,” Mendez said. “I am happy to be a part of the transportation design program because it has been my dream since I was 14 and now it’s becoming reality.”