(HARLINGEN, Texas) – For Isaac Melendrez, restoring classic automobiles with his father was more than just a hobby and time for bonding.
It was the spark that led Melendrez to enroll in the Auto Collision and Management program at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus.
“My father had a lowrider that he built to ‘hop’ at a classic car show,” he said. “Then (he) wanted to learn how to paint cars. That’s how my curiosity developed. I began looking up videos on how to paint vehicles.”
Melendrez, who is pursuing an Auto Collision Refinishing certificate of completion, said a rewarding aspect of his education is sharing what he has learned in the program with his father.
“The instructors have helped me improve my painting techniques,” Melendrez said. “That progress has allowed me to show my dad the proper methods for getting a better paint finish.”
Melendrez said the car that he is most determined to fully restore is a 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
“The car belonged to my father, and he passed it down to me,” the Weslaco native said. “It holds special meaning because it was made in the same year my dad was born.”
Luis Coronado is one of Melendrez’s instructors at TSTC.
“The passion a student develops such as what Isaac has for restoring classic cars impacts them greatly,” he said. “It makes them want to be the best in the industry. They can become an auto body technician or an estimator.”
Melendrez said his education at TSTC has given him purpose.
“It’s great to meet other students who are also passionate about auto body repair,” he said. “When you surround yourself with people who have similar interests, you learn tricks from each other.”
According to onetonline.org, automotive body and related repairers in Texas earn an average of $50,350 a year. The website projected that there would be a 13% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2022 to 2032.
TSTC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Auto Collision and Management with refinishing and repair specializations at its Fort Bend County, Harlingen and Waco campuses. Several certificate options also are available.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.