Identical degrees for twins who swapped one Dundee for another

The sisters graduated with Graphic Design degrees from the University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design on Thursday 22 June. They hope to find work in Scotland after graduation and continue their love affair with the country.

Brianna and Shanna first visited Scotland several years ago to take part in the World Pipe Band Championships and the prospect of being able to pursue their passion for drumming and take part in the world’s top competitions helped convince them to move from the United States to study.

The 23-year-olds joined the Police Scotland & Federation Pipe Band upon arriving in the country and travelled through to Glasgow for practice twice a week for much of their time in Dundee. That time was interrupted by the Covid pandemic, however, and Brianna and Shanna had a very different student experience to the one they might have otherwise expected.

“We arrived in Scotland after the UK’s first lockdown but there were still a lot of restrictions,” explained Brianna. “Then there was the second lockdown so when we went home for Christmas in December 2020, we decided it was safer to stay for a while and study online as there was so much uncertainty.

“We came back to Scotland in March 2021, but the distancing and other restrictions meant it was still a tough time for us in a new country. Having each other made it much easier to cope with that and the other lockdown challenges.”

According to Shanna, it was this disrupted experience that has fired the sisters’ determination to stay in Scotland beyond the end of their studies. “I feel like we only got a year-and-a-half of normality, and it took a while to get to know all our classmates because of that. I still feel like we have a lot to experience in Scotland.

“We have both worked behind the bar in the Students’ Union for more than a year now and that has been amazing to meet and make friends with people from all over the world and who study different courses. We didn’t go back to the States last summer and the Pipe Band season took place for the first time since Covid so that’s when everything started falling into place in Scotland for us.”

West Dundee, a suburb of Chicago, was established in 1835 and named two years later when settlers held a lottery to determine who would name the village. A resident called Alexander Gardiner won and named it in honour of his Scottish hometown, with the two now being sister cities.  

Given their red hair, surname and interest in pipe bands and Irish dancing, it is unsurprising that Brianna and Shanna are also of Celtic heritage. Their great grandmother came from Glasgow and going back further they know of ancestors from both Scotland and Ireland.

The sisters’ interest in the band scene came from their father, Shawn, who is a keen piper. Their elder brother Ian is also an accomplished drummer while their mother Lynn became involved by proxy as she taxied her family to practice and competitions. Eventually she was persuaded to take up bass drum.

Shawn and Lynn have spent the past couple of weeks staying at their daughters’ flat in Dundee ahead of graduation as well as touring Scotland, where they plan to eventually retire.

Brianna and Shanna’s graduation plans are – almost inevitably – being fitted around their drumming commitments. They will be competing in the European Pipe Band Championships in Aberdeen on Saturday before dashing back to Dundee immediately afterwards so they can make the Graduation ball being held at Dundee University Students’ Association.

Prior to moving to Dundee, both sisters were awarded the top level of Global Excellence Scholarship for reflecting the University’s values and making a difference to people’s lives through their extracurricular work.

Brianna’s design work is on display via Instagram on @briannamcdesign, while Shanna’s can be found at @shannamcdesigns.