Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors is proud to introduce you to The Tong Family: Wilson, Trang, Grayson and Aiden. Life for the Tongs is filled with lots of LOVE for family, our community and especially for Philadelphia.
Wilson was born and raised by his parents in nearby Cheltenham, where he grew up with his older brother, Clarence. He attended the public schools in Cheltenham, including Cheltenham Elementary School, Elkins Park and Cedarbrook Middle Schools and Cheltenham High School, where he served as Class President.
After high school, Wilson went to college locally at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), earning degrees in Urban Studies from the liberal arts school and Economics from The Wharton School. While at UPenn, he was proud to serve as the Student Body President. Upon graduation, Wilson moved to New York City and started a career in finance. “I have always been drawn to how financial systems shape the world—how capital flows, who decides where it goes and what those choices mean in practice,” Wilson explained. Later, he decided to further his education by heading back to UPenn for his MBA and Harvard University for his MPA.
Although Wilson began his career in finance, he has also worked in the non-profit sector, seeking to align his interest in business with impact. Today, he enjoys being Head of Investor & Stakeholder Relations at Inverness Graham, an operationally focused, private investment firm that acquires innovative, high-growth businesses leveraging technology. “Finance challenges me to think critically, solve complex problems and stay grounded in real-world impact,” Wilson explained.
“What motivates me most is the idea that smart, thoughtful capital allocation can drive meaningful change—whether it’s backing innovative businesses, funding infrastructure or expanding access to opportunity.”
Trang is originally from Upper Darby, where she grew up with her parents and three older sisters, Ngan, Yen and Thao. She went to Bywood Elementary School, Beverly Hills Middle School and Upper Darby High School, where she played field hockey and lacrosse and also served as
Class President.
After graduating from Upper Darby High School, Trang also attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in Economics from The Wharton School. Trang started her career in New York City as a consultant and later transitioned to the consumer and retail industry, working at companies such as PepsiCo and Saks Fifth Avenue. She later completed her MBA at Harvard Business School and moved to San Francisco to join Old Navy. Trang is currently the Vice President of Digital at Tapestry, leading the company’s digital and innovation efforts across its Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands.
“Fashion and retail have always felt like home to me,” Trang explained. “My mother, a refugee from Vietnam, built a life in Philadelphia as a seamstress, and from a young age, she taught my sisters and me to sew.” Trang said that hands-on connection to textiles, combined with her passion for business, naturally led her to pursue a career in fashion and retail. “I feel lucky to work in a space that I genuinely enjoy and to solve problems I truly understand as a consumer.” While Trang thoroughly enjoys bringing joy, confidence and connection through products and experiences, she is currently most interested in exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the customer experience, making moments of escape and delight even more meaningful.
Trang and Wilson’s paths crossed back in 2008 while they were juniors in college. Trang explained that they met one night at a fundraising event, hit it off, and have been together ever since! The happy couple dated for a few years before Wilson popped the question. “Wilson proposed to me at a restaurant overlooking Rittenhouse Square around Christmas time in 2014,” she recalled. “He then surprised me with a dinner with family
and close friends who were waiting in a separate room at the restaurant.”
Wilson said that part of his proposal included a surprise getaway. “I knew that Trang had always wanted to go to London, so I booked our flights, made travel arrangements and told her we were leaving the very next day,” he explained. “It was a very special trip to celebrate our engagement, and it was made even more special because we also celebrated the New Year holiday while there.”
Trang and Wilson married in the summer of 2015 at a ceremony at The Union League of Philadelphia, but the newlyweds had to put off plans to spend their honeymoon on safari in Africa. “The day after we got married, Wilson started his graduate school program, and I was about to begin my MBA program a few weeks later in Boston,” Trang laughed. “We essentially began our married life (together) apart!”
Trang and Wilson are about to celebrate their 10th anniversary, and while the safari honeymoon is still on their bucket list, they think that perhaps they’ll save that trip for their 15th. “We do have plans to celebrate our anniversary this summer back in Philadelphia, which feels perfect—we first met, got engaged and married here—it’s the ideal place to reflect and relive those moments,” Wilson said.
Early married life had Trang and Wilson traveling and living in separate states for three years. Eventually, they settled down and moved in together when Trang began working in San Francisco. They enjoyed life on the West Coast, but when the pandemic hit, they decided that they wanted to be closer to their family and began searching for a home nearby. “My parents live in Springfield, and Wilson’s are in Cheltenham,” Trang explained. “Wilson had begun working at Inverness Graham in Wayne, and I worked for Tapestry based in New York City. Moving to this area checked all the boxes for us and allowed me the opportunity to commute to NYC a few days each week.”
“When we decided to relocate, we were placed in corporate housing for a few months in Newtown Square,” Wilson said. “A few months turned into an entire year where we became familiar with the community and all it had to offer. Trang and I ultimately decided that Newtown Edgmont would be a terrific place to raise a family.”
A few months after, they found a home in Canter Village in Edgmont and welcomed their younger son, Aiden. Trang and Wilson’s oldest is five-year-old Grayson, who attends Rose Tree Elementary School. Grayson loves Legos, Star Wars and dancing (especially on the soccer and tee ball fields). “Grayson is a ball of energy and loves to build. He even has a ‘baby construction company’ that has successfully filled holes that our cohabiting groundhog enjoys digging in our yard,” Wilson said. “His current conquest is building a tree house, and since Wilson and I have zero building capability, we would welcome any available help!”
Grayson’s little brother is three-year-old Aiden, who will begin junior pre-K this summer at The Goddard School in Newtown Square. Aiden is obsessed with all things Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and loves to dress up and show off his martial arts skills. “Aiden is a sweet and caring mama’s boy,” Trang said. “He loves to do everything better than his brother and insists on being Grayson’s shadow, despite Grayson’s best efforts.”
The Tongs love their home, their community and the convenience of traveling into Philadelphia. The boys have plenty of space to run around in their yard, at the many nearby playgrounds or the museums in the city. One of their favorite local family events is the annual Edgmont Township Community Day at Arasapha Farm. It is filled with fun and family activities; the boys’ favorites are climbing on all the construction trucks and exploring the fire trucks and police cars.
When they want to get away, the Tongs hit the road and, over the summer, spend a week down at the Jersey Shore, rotating annually between Long Beach Island, where both Wilson and Trang vacationed with friends as high schoolers (before they met), and Avalon. “It’s our favorite way to unwind and make memories as a family together,” Wilson said. “Also, we spend a week visiting family in Southern California every year. It’s become a special tradition. The kids love hitting all the fun spots nearby, and this year’s big adventure is Disneyland.”
Thank you, Wilson, Trang, Grayson and Aiden, for sharing your story and your love for the hometown we find so special. Here’s to hoping your summer is Philled with Phun, Phamily, and Philadelphia Pride.
Do you know a Newtown Edgmont family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.