5 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Susan Andrews

When it comes to Susan Andrews, most people think they already know her story. But beneath the surface, there are a handful of jaw dropping tidbits that hardly anyone talks about. Whether you’re a long time fan or just curious, these five surprising facts will give you a fresh perspective on who Susan really is. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get ready to learn things you never imagined about Susan Andrews.

1. You’d Never Guess Her First Love Was Wildlife Photography

A lot of us connect Susan Andrews with her well-groomed public image, cool confidence and camera skills. However, people might not realize that Leon received her passion for wildlife by photographing animals in the wild at first, not by acting.

As a teenager, she would keep some of her allowance to buy exactly these disposable cameras and go to parks around her, hoping to capture a bird flying above or a deer grazing at the first light.

Because of her love for wildlife photography, Susan really wanted to study zoology at college. Friends say she once trekked five miles through muddy trails to photograph a rare owlet. Her early Instagram (now private) was filled with grainy but heartfelt attempts to freeze a fox’s gaze or a squirrel stealing nuts.

2. Susan Andrews Can Speak Three Languages

It surprises many to learn that Susan Andrews dabbles in multiple languages. Because of living in a multicultural area when she was young, Erykah simply picked up the basics of Spanish and Japanese by meeting with friends and sharing tapes.

It wasn’t until she went to Spain at the age of 22 and tried to communicate in the local language that she realized how interesting it was for her to listen to people from different parts of the world.

Despite her genuine interest, only one language ever became truly fluent, English (well, she’s a native speaker!). Her Spanish is “middling,” she admits, and her Japanese is more about ordering sushi and asking for directions than holding a conversation.

3. She Secretly Writes Poetry in Late Night Journals

When you see Susan Andrews delivering speeches or posting polished Instagram captions, you might think she’s always composed and rehearsed.

In reality, Susan has a secret habit of scribbling poetry at odd hours usually late at night when inspiration strikes. She doesn’t share these verses with anyone; they reside in a worn leather notebook that she guards carefully.

The poems cover everything from childhood memories of her grandmother’s cooking to reflections on passing friends and random thoughts about star patterns. One of her closest pals recalls finding a page that began with, “Under streetlights, I whisper hopes only the moon can hear,” and being blown away by its raw emotion. Susan says this poetic side is her way of processing life’s twists and turns.

4. Her Least Known Passion Is Competitive Chess

You might picture Susan Andrews as someone who’d spend a Sunday brunch browsing boutiques or at a yoga class, but she actually has a competitive streak when it comes to chess.

She learned the basics from her grandfather at age nine, then got hooked during college when a friend dragged her to the campus chess club “just for fun.” Fast forward a few semesters, and Susan was playing in local tournaments sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but always hungry for more.

She keeps it low key now with no grandmaster titles to her name but she still tends to a small collection of signed chess boards and famously spends family gatherings challenging her older cousin to matches that can last hours. Susan swears it’s the ultimate mental workout.

5. A Childhood Dream Almost Pulled Her to Broadway

Before she was recognized for her eloquence and community work, Susan Andrews had stars in her eyes literally. As a kid, she auditioned multiple times for school plays, local theater, and even a youth ensemble connected to a Broadway production.

She’d spend weekends in acting workshops, practicing her monologues from classic plays and learning dance routines by watching old performance videos. Her parents still have grainy VHS tapes of her first “on stage” moment, a nine year old Susan reciting lines from “Alice in Wonderland” with such gusto she nearly stole the show.

Being selected to a prestigious performing arts summer program in New York at age 16 meant to Andrea that her Broadway dream was very close. When the summer finished, she saw that she didn’t want to spend her time on auditions and getting rejected all the time.

Stability and close connections with others were what she sought which brought her to public speaking and eventually to working for her community.

All these unexpected facts paint a more nuanced picture of Susan Andrews. From her youthful wildlife photography adventures to her secret chess matches and poetry scribbled at midnight, it’s clear there’s far more to her than meets the eye.

The next time you see her in an interview or hear her speak, remember that behind the confident exterior lies a multi-faceted person with passions that few have witnessed. Who wouldn’t want to learn more about a woman who’s part photographer, part poet, part chess master, and almost a Broadway star?