I feel very fortunate to have known Iris, and will always cherish the moments of our friendship starting with our undergrad days at University of Toronto. Iris and I developed a close bond throughout university likely because we were both relatively new to Toronto and did not have our immediate families close by. While we came from very different backgrounds, with Iris having her roots in South Korea and Vancouver, and me being born and raised in Trinidad, we shared very similar tastes when it came to things like food, movies, music and our love for travel.

It was always easy and simply fun to be around Iris. This was evidenced by her large and always growing circle of friends throughout university. My best memories of our times in UofT include the walks to our Economics 100 class on mornings followed by lunch in our residence common room, the occasional "all-nighters" hanging out in McCaul house or getting ready for that final exam, fireball in UC (picture attached), and the fun moments getting to know the city - the list goes on. Most of all, Iris always had a wonderfully soft demeanor, and enjoyed the company of her friends whether in celebrating their successes or offering her support.

Post-graduation, my wife Sanjukta and I are extremely glad to have maintained contact with Iris, though not always under the happiest circumstances as Iris would sometimes visit Toronto for her ongoing checkups and treatment.  Still, Iris always displayed such a strong, positive character and bravery throughout that it was easy to believe this was just something which would just pass, perhaps something I took for granted. I'm extremely grateful for the times we shared over the past year and a half on her visits (as well as in 2007-08 when Sanjukta resided in Vancouver), and obviously wish there could have been more. However, I have to believe that Iris is in a better place now and is still smiling. While Sanjukta and I are still very sad to hear of Iris' passing, it has caused us to reflect on our daily lives, and especially learn not to take the moments that we get the share with our friends and family for granted.

Thank you Iris for being such a dear friend and I'm sure we will meet again.