Irene Wong

Irene Wong (formerly Irene Tang) -- aka "I", 'Rene; of the dwarfs, "Grumpy"

Occupation:  Optometrist
B.S., Kinesiology, UCLA; O.D., UC Berkeley
Married Joe Wong on July 19, 1997
Childhood friend from school, UCLA roommate

I've known Irene for many, many years -- we attended elementary school, junior high, high school, and college together.  She was always one of the smartest, if not THE smartest girl in our class.  We also spent most lunchtimes in high school together on the lawn outside of Mr. Lieberman's classroom.  But when I've described Irene to Sounil and my other east coast friends, I've invariably referred to her as "the one who loved me through my sophomore year."  Sophomore year in college was arguably one of the toughest years of my life because I was working through a broken heart and because my acne started to become very severe.  Irene lived across the hall from me that year, and every day we met to share, pray, and cry together.  She patiently listened to me as I worked through my emotions, fears, and insecurities.  She comforted me in my brokenness and never condemned me for feeling the way that I did.  And she hung in there with me, always encouraging me and loving me, even when I'm sure it must have been tiring to hear the same complaints day after day.  Through all this, Irene never uttered a single complaint, but only built me up.

When I look back in hindsight, I see how that time really strengthened and solidified my friendship with Irene.  (We were roommates our senior year.)  But more than that, I see how God used that time to really mold my character, when he stripped away things that were precious to me, and showed me His grace and provision, in great part through Irene.  I'm so grateful that Irene was faithful to the call back then, and continues to be today.  She exudes the fruit of the Spirit in great measure:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  Thanks, Irene, for choosing to give so much of yourself, even when you knew I could give so little in return!  You're truly a blessing!  (And Joe is one lucky guy! =))