Curiosity driven

Class of 2009: Dalnews profiles some of the 2,700 graduates who'll walk across the stage of the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium during Spring Convocation, May 19 to 27.

Shane Andrews

Sometimes it’s the road less travelled that eventually leads to the right destination. Such is the case for Shane Andrews, who is graduating from Architecture and Planning.

Originally from Wolfville, N.S. he jumped to the opposite coast to settle in Victoria, B.C. “I knew my heart was in the arts,” says Andrews, who earned his Bachelor of Fine Art History at UVic in 2002.

Admitting that he’s “curiosity driven,” he has never been the type of person to sit still. Next, he branched out to explore the world, travelling throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa, before spending time in Hong Kong teaching English. The circuitous path enabled him to gain a better understanding of his own strengths.

“I found my passion is travel,” he says. “And architecture and travel go hand in hand.”

Returning to his native Nova Scotia, he first earned a degree in Environmental Design at Dalhousie.

He still didn’t feel that his journey was complete and the challenge of combining both artistic and scientific disciplines drew him toward architecture. He chose the Dalhousie program because of the strong relationship between faculty and students. His thesis presentation focuses on his design for a market with indoor farming, an emphasis on local produce and restaurants with complete kitchens.

After all this, he recognizes the need for his home base to be in Nova Scotia. “I just love Nova Scotia, and none of this would have been possible without the support of family and close friends.”