I Am Wilshire – Andy Brookshire.
Hometown: Richardson
Education: Vanderbilt and George Washington
Profession: Vice President of Atlantic Financial Managers
Present city: Dallas
Tell us about your family.
My parents are Steve and Gail, who have been wonderful role models and cheerleaders my whole life. I met my wife, Jessica, through friends from the Wilshire youth group. I am always amazed by her kindness, intelligence and generosity of spirit. We married in 2019, and a few weeks after that, we adopted an adorable black lab puppy named Murphy, who constantly makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I usually have one or two creative writing projects in the works. I’m also extremely competitive, so I love card games, board games and pretty much any sport, whether playing or watching. In fact, I just tried curling with some fellow Ithaka members, so watch for us in the next Winter Olympics!
Where is your favorite place to travel?
Anywhere I haven’t been yet! Of the places I have been, I’d say Italy or England. In college I studied abroad through Vanderbilt’s theater department, which meant traveling to London for a month and getting to see a different West End show pretty much every night. I was also able to take a trip through Venice, Florence and Rome right after taking an intensive class on the art and history of the Renaissance, which brought to life a lot of what I’d studied.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I grew up at Wilshire and have never felt like anywhere else was a true church home.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
I’m a member of Ithaka Class and am currently serving on the Pastor Search Committee. I perform in Faith in 3D, and I chaperone as many youth events as I can.
What’s something interesting most people wouldn’t know about you?
I cannot play a musical instrument, but I have performed in two different marching bands. In high school, my drum major friend taught me how to march, and when one of the real musicians couldn’t attend a competition, they put me in her spot, pretending to play a flute. When I got to Vandy, I asked if I could be in their marching band too, and they let me play cymbals, which was presumably the least skill-intensive place they could put me.