Joy Sheng and Matthew Lew met at Caltech in Pasadena, CA, in 2005. In 2006, they were blessed with the opportunity to be better acquainted when Matt and Joy ended up living across the hall from each other in Lloyd House.
On one of their first dates, Matt took Joy to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. (Unknown to both of them at the time, aquariums play an important role in their relationship.) They talked about their family, their interests, and their goals as they sat on a bench atop a hill in the nearby park. They knew they shared something special that day as they looked down the hill and saw their shadows become one.
Distance tested their bond as Matt graduated from Caltech in June 2008 and moved to Stanford for graduate school. It was a challenging year for both of them: Joy worked hard finishing her bachelor's degree and applying to graduate schools, and Matt studied for his PhD qualifying exam while searching for a research advisor. A big day came when Joy matriculated at Stanford in September 2009; they began a new chapter of their relationship in the Bay Area.
They had been dating for 4½ years when Matt popped the question on July 16, 2011, in Monterey, CA. They had spent the day getting a couples massage, visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and eating a fancy dinner at the Sardine Factory. Joy had no idea that Matt was going to propose that evening that she even interrupted Matt at the beginning of his proposal, blurting "Are you proposing?" (Poor Matt!)
Matt continued (mostly) unfazed. In a bit of a shock, Joy began to realize that this was the moment.
The moment became very real when Matt went down on one knee and asked, "Joy Sheng, will you marry me?"
Joy immediately responded, "Yes!"
about joy
Joy works as the Science Associate at CK-12, a non-profit dedicated to providing free, high-quality educational resources. She also manages the high school internship program every summer. Her job is a perfect mix of working with students, editing science content, and creating images.
When she's not working, she likes to re-watch old episodes of Friends and Frasier with Matt, do Zumba on the Wii, and sleep. She's looking forward to celebrating her marriage with her family and friends.
about matt
Matt is a PhD Candidate in the lab of W. E. Moerner at Stanford University. He is working toward his degree in Electrical Engineering, exploring novel ways of performing high-resolution optical microscopy in living cells. Enjoying the mix of hands-on research, teaching, and mentoring in his day-to-day activities, Matt is hoping to become a professor at a research institution.
Lab work keeps Matt quite busy, but when he finds free time, he enjoys playing his viola, watching Stanford football, and spending time with friends. He is excited to invite family and friends to commemorate his marriage.
