Resident Feature

Meet the Boquiren Family

Sunshine and Smiles

Often we see couples courting one another with flowers, fancy dates, and other fun gifts, but Joel Boquiren knew that in order to truly win Alicia del Prado over, he had to step his game up even further. 

After meeting Alicia at a wedding in Hawaii in 2005, Joel traveled back to Dallas where he was working for CompUSA. Alicia went back up to Washington where she was attending graduate school. He “eventually won Alicia’s heart by helping her collect data for her dissertation on cultural psychology, and they started with a long distance relationship.” Three years later they hosted a gorgeous wedding in California, nestled among the vineyards of wine country. 

Currently, Joel is a Vice President and General Manager of the Americas for Lexar. His work in the memory chip industry over the last several years has kept him in Silicon Valley, working at some of the top companies in the country like Sandisk, Western Digital, and Micron. Upon graduating from high school, Joel enrolled in the Navy and served for four years. While in the Navy, he won the admirable “Sailor of the Year.” He then went on to earn his degree from San Diego State University. 

Alicia attended Santa Clara University for her undergraduate degree, and then earned her PhD in counseling psychology at Washington State University. She is now a counseling psychologist. Alicia “is a tenured faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley and provides individual therapy at her private practice (del Prado Counseling & Consulting) in downtown Danville.” There she works with adults, professionals, and families dealing with relationship challenges; she covers everything from anxiety to depression and trauma. One of her other focuses is consulting and providing “training for companies who are working on diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.” 

Alicia has co-written two books, It’s Time To Talk (and Listen): How to Have Constructive Conversations About Race, Class, Sexuality, Ability & Gender in a Polarized World, and most recently the children’s book, Proud of My Mommy. She has also contributed several articles to the renowned publication, Psychology Today, where she has a column titled “Speaking from the Heart”. 

Proud of My Mommy is a celebration of all the work moms do inside and outside of the home. Especially over this past year, it’s never been more clear that moms everywhere should be donning superhero capes. Straight from the book itself, “Follow the journey of several children and their working moms to learn how they address staying connected while being apart. Spark conversation with your child to foster pride in the contributions working mommies make to better the community, fulfill career aspirations, and provide financial and emotional support to the family unit.” You can find a copy locally at Games Unlimited, located in the Livery. 

The two little guys that made Joel and Alicia parents are Ethan (9 years old) and Mason (7 years old). Both boys are active and passionate in their pursuits. Ethan loves flag football, baseball and basketball. He is also a Danville Living CA published artist and has an instagram account for his creations: @coolbb2.1212! He loves to draw. Recently he learned to skateboard, snowboard and ski – so he’ll be busy year round! Mason is a big baseball fan and apparently has a swing that’s not to be messed with! Like his brother, he learned some snow sports recently, but he’s decided he prefers skiing over snowboarding. He also loves running, soccer, playing the piano and going on treasure hunts. 

The other members of the Boquiren family are Jack the Cockapoo and Oreo the hamster. Jack is only 4 months old and traveled all the way from Indiana to make Ethan and Mason the happiest boys on the west coast. The boys love playing with Jack all day. Oreo is a very large black and white hamster that has been with the family for 1.5 years. 

Together everyone loves traveling to their cabin in Soda Springs. The boys have a favorite spot to climb and build forts, which is probably where they developed their secret brother handshake! Joel and Alicia had their honeymoon in Costa Rica and traveled to western Europe and the Philippines before they had their boys. As a family, they’ve been to Hawaii, Toronto, Las Vegas, and more. On a memorable trip to New York City, the boys did their best Kevin McCallister and ordered the “Home Alone” sundae at the Plaza and took a carriage ride through Central Park. Traveling is an important part of their life. “We value having our children understand their cultural heritages and celebrate the diversity in the world.” 

Tucked back in their west side neighborhood, Joel is known for his cooking skills and his green thumb at landscaping. He also loves all sports and is a big Lakers, 49ers, and SF Giants fan. Alicia loves yoga, arranging flowers, and of course, writing. 

Perseverance and hope are important values to the Boquiren family, which is why their oft-used phrase to help the boys overcome frustrations or sadness is “there’s a solution to every problem”. 

 


By Alexandra Sullivan, Resident since 2017 

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