Get to Know Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Raquel Lopez de Boer

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The next current student-athlete in Moravian College Department of Athletics & Recreation Get to Know Series is women's basketball student-athlete Raquel Lopez de Boer '21. Lopez de Boer has seen action in 11 games for the Greyhounds in her first two seasons with the program.

Raquel Lopez de Boer
Class: 2021
Major: Neuroscience

How did you choose your sport? It was a nice way of making friends that were my age and that live in the area. 

Why did you come to Moravian College? I wanted to study neuroscience and I liked the program here. I got a call from Coach Spirk, we talked, and I really like the idea of both studying what I wanted to and being part of the basketball team. 

What is your major and how did you choose it? I am majoring on Neuroscience and Chemistry. I chose to study Neuroscience because my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer disease and I wanted to learn more about it to someday do research in the topic with the hope of making an advance in treatments. 

What are your future plans? I am applying to different graduate schools now to continue my education. I would like to get my Ph.D. in Neuroscience and do research in neurodegenerative disease. 

What is your favorite place on campus? The Star room in the top floor of the sally building. So peaceful! 

What activities/organizations at Moravian College have you been active in as a student-athlete? I am the vice-president of the brain club, and I am really active in many other clubs such as American chemical society or international club. I am also a 26-point ambassador. 

What is your most memorable moment at Moravian? A day in the spring semester last year before covid that I was with my friends in the field just sitting outside chatting after being working in lab for a long time. The weather was perfect, and it was basically the last time that I actually was outside not wearing a mask with them for a while...

Do you have any pre-event rituals or superstitions? I wear contacts and so before every game I always put my right eye contact on first...if for some reason I have to take it out I will take both of them to put them back in order again. 

What advice do you have for prospective student-athletes looking to attend Moravian College? I would say that the most important thing is to work hard and now how you can contribute to your team and to the community. 

What is the best piece of advice you've been given? To look things with perspective. What today might seem very stressful and giving me a hard time...in a couple of years it probably won't matter, and if that's the case I shouldn't give it that much importance/thought. 

Who are your role models/most influential people? My parents. They are both very hard worker and genuine people that want the best for me and the rest of the family. They have taught me respect and constance, and I think that these two qualities have become the pillars of my identity. 

Which three people, living or dead, would you like to share a meal with? My grandmother that had Alzheimer, my parents (either), and a professor that I admire from Washington University in St. Louis who does very interesting work in Alzheimer's disease, Dr. David Holtzman. 

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise most people. Everyone know that I am from Spain now…so I would say that something surprising about me is that I taught myself how to play the piano and the violin. 

Quick Hits:
Favorite Color – Orange
Favorite Food – Paella
Favorite Restaurant – U&Tea
Favorite Movie – Midnight in Paris
Favorite TV Show – Shitt's Creek
Favorite Musical Artist – Saint Motel
Favorite Athlete – Elena Delle Donne
Favorite Pro Team – Soccer: Sevilla Futbol Club; Basketball: Golden State Warriors of Steve Kerr
Hobbies – Painting
Most Prized Possession – A letter with stickers that my friends wrote me when I left Spain
Ideal Travel Destination – Argentina
Your Spirit Animal – Cat
Superpower you'd Like to Have – Mind reading