$30,000 Scholarship Awarded to Interior Design Student

Raquel Torres, senior interior design student in the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a $30,000 Angelo Donghia Senior Scholarship in Interior Design, the largest interior design scholarships in the United States.

Torres, who interned this past summer at Gensler in Austin, is one of only 14 students nationwide awarded the $30,000 scholarship based on a juried competition of portfolio submissions.

Torres' submitted project, Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording, was completed as part of a spring 2015 design studio taught by Associate Professor Tamie Glass.

The main project addressed the development of a museum to house a vast vintage recording collection that includes a large number of reel-to-reel tape recorders and microphones, along with other items and memorabilia related to magnetic sound recording. This world-class facility will be aptly located in Austin, Texas, “The Live Music Capital of the World,” and will fulfill the mission to preserve historically significant devices while educating visitors on how recording technology has impacted music, broadcasting, film, video, and science. UT students offered inspiration to the local nonprofit organization’s board of directors, including Martin and Chris Theophilus and architect Lloyd Cates, by providing a vision for innovative exhibits and experiential interiors.

The Angelo Donghia Foundation’s Senior Student Scholarship Program in Interior Design awards scholarships to seniors in baccalaureate programs in universities and schools of interior design located throughout the United States. Each merit-based scholarship is determined by a jury comprised of interior design professionals, interior design educators, and interior design editors. Through 2014, over 150 students attending over 35 universities and interior design schools have been awarded such senior scholarship grants in an aggregate amount exceeding $4,000,000.

Since 2004, ten UT Austin School of Architecture students have been awarded a total of $300,000 from the foundation. Previous Donghia Scholarship winners include: Ashley Thompson and Jessica Yong (2013), Kimberly Cole (2009), Angela Lauer (2007), Sung Mi Kim and Katie Wooley (2006), Dessislava Boneva and Garrett Seaman (2007), and Lisa Pauli (2004).

Angelo Donghia was an internationally recognized icon and source of inspiration to the design world. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, he brought his inimitable signature to private residences, hotels, corporate headquarters, and cruise ships. Donghia the artist, visionary, and entrepreneur built an empire comprised of interior design and product companies, a network of the to-the-trade showrooms, and a licensing division. A fine aesthetic and unparalleled business acumen made Donghia a major force in design.