A former Air Force brat who was born in Kansas but raised in Arkansas and Alabama, Andrea moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to pursue her dream of acting in film, television, and theatre. She graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1993 with a B.A. in humanities with an emphasis in theatre and a minor in women's studies.

Andrea's life changed forever when she got physical custody of her eight-year-old sister, Adrienne, in December 1994. Andrea received her certification in Fund Raising with an emphasis in Institutional Development from UCLA Extension. She previously worked for UCLA's School of Medicine in the Pediatrics-Developmental Studies department. Formerly a development writer for the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Andrea is now a full-time graduate student pursuing her masters in professional writing.

Raising Adrienne has been Andrea's greatest joy in life; losing Adrienne to liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC) has been her greatest loss. Andrea started Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Asssociation because she doesn't want another person to lose a loved one to HCC, and she wants the world to know Adrienne's spirit, strength, and courage.