A longtime benefactor to our nonprofit foundation and valued board member, Abe Marquez stepped into the role of President of the Board at The Foundation at Hearst Castle in January of 2020.

Interview:

Has the Foundation’s mission changed in the past few years?

The Foundation at Hearst Castle continues to support the conservation of Hearst Castle, but now we are working hard to expand youth education programs for kids from underserved communities around California — kids that are growing up in places like Gonzales, like I did, who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to see the views from the Hearst Castle hilltop, learn about an incredible woman named Julia Morgan who built this historic treasure 100 years ago, tour the accredited museum, and think about how all this might shape the vision they have for their future selves.

What’s the point of conserving and restoring this place, if not to inspire kids to dream bigger? Hearst Castle can introduce them to not only groundbreaking architecture and engineering concepts, but to history and art from around the world! You can see the world by visiting Hearst Castle.

What kind of education programs do you offer?

We’ve sponsored a variety of art classes for kids and special tours for high school kids over the years, but right now we are working hard to find more support for our new STEAM Program at the Castle. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. This is where we bring middle school kids up for a visit to see the Castle and then take them down to the San Simeon bay to learn about sea life.

The entire tour is aligned with STEAM curriculum. Plus, we talk about the many different STEAM-related jobs it took to build Hearst Castle — from carpenters and cement workers to architects and artists, and now, park rangers and guides. We ask the kids what they’re good at. We want to use this experience to help them consider a range of potential career paths. 

How do the kids react to their experience at Hearst Castle?

Our first group was from the small farming town of Ivanhoe in the San Joaquin Valley. These kids had never traveled outside of the valley, never seen the Pacific Ocean. Many of them are from farm-worker families that do not have the money or time to visit places like Hearst Castle. Our foundation sponsored their visit, including transportation and a hearty lunch. 

Middle school students tour the Roman Pool at Hearst Castle as part of the STEAM Program at the Castle, sponsored by The Foundation at Hearst Castle, a 501c3 nonprofit.

It was a joy to tag along with the kids that day. They had so much energy and they were amazed to see this huge building and the spectacular gardens. To watch their faces when they saw the pools — let alone the Assembly Room and Refectory — was just amazing. After the tour on the hilltop, the group headed down to the San Simeon beach and pier. They were excited to see the ocean and wanted to touch salt water for the first time in their life. CA State Parks interpreters gave them an engaging marine bio lesson and then talked to the kids one-on-one about how this might apply to them. Both the Hearst Castle guides and State Parks interpreters do a great job with inspiring the kids and making them feel special. 

Why is this STEAM Program so important to you?

This pilot program was so amazing, it made my heart feel great to see these kids enjoy their time here on the Coast. And the rest of the classes that we’ve hosted have been just as awestruck. I was one of these kids years ago. My parents both worked in fields to feed and clothe our family, so this project is dear to my heart.

I hope that we can continue to find support for our efforts to bring kids from all over the state to see Hearst Castle, to learn about this magnificent place built by pioneering female architect Julia Morgan so many years ago, and to educate these underserved kids about what can be done with education and drive. It will warm your hearts to know that you help one of these kids to discover a bright future and maybe become a leader one day. 

Since Hearst Castle remains closed, how are you engaging with students?

We recently launched a really cool new, virtual education program in collaboration with Hearst Castle and California State Parks. The three-part online experience is an iteration of the innovation STEAM Program that we started back in 2018.

An interpreter with California State Parks San Luis Obispo Coast District engages with students via Zoom.

I’m sorry that the kids can’t visit us in person right now, but they will get to take a live tour of Hearst Castle and then explore the nearby beach and pier, too. They’ll learn all about this great place built by pioneering architect, Julia Morgan, 100 years ago!

So it’s a private livestream event for the class?

Yes. First, they stream the film, Hearst Castle: Building the Dream, at home. Then it’s actually two days of livestream, one session with a Hearst Castle guide and then another session with a CA State Parks interpreter. 

Plus, what’s really neat, the Foundation sends individual “STEAM Kits” to the students in advance of the program. The innovative kits give the students three STEAM-related activities (ranging from kelp beads to mosaics that mimic the tiles of the Neptune Pool) that go along with the live instruction they receive. Students can post photos of completed activities on a digital Padlet tool. We also include a stainless steel water bottle gift from the Foundation, an example of sustainability, another program theme.

What do you hope that students take away from the virtual STEAM Program at the Castle?

I know that the guides that they’ll meet will challenge the kids to think about how everything they experience with us might shape the vision they have for their futures.

But mostly, I hope that the students enjoy the tour of Hearst Castle as much as I did way back in 1970. What I saw and learned that day changed my life. Who would have ever thought that a kid from Gonzales with parents who worked in the fields would someday become the President of The Foundation at Hearst Castle?

And I hope that what they see inspires them to discover a bright future and maybe become a leader one day. Whether they lead the field in architecture, engineering, carpentry, gardening, art, teaching, or even media or government — I want them to do great things!