What Students Are Saying:
"I've had the privilege of working with Andrea for almost two decades. Early in our work together she helped me identify my natural strengths as well as areas of my life that needed extra attention. her compassionate listening skills combine with her experience coaching students with unique needs to inform a perspective that's attuned to equity and access. Whether it's sorting through the clutter of my everyday life or setting long term goals and action plans, Andrea supported me step by step.
— G
“Walking through my journey of life, I met an angel named Andrea. The first day we met I was bitter, angry, and lost. All I wanted was to follow my dream. I screamed at you, I acted out, I rolled my eyes. You smiled and went out of your way to help me. We have been through a lot. Words can’t describe my feelings for your support. ”
— C
“Thank you very much for everything. It has been a long few years and I don’t think I could go through everything by myself.”
— Y
"Andrea, I just wanted to let you know that I finished my final and I’m off to Disneyland to celebrate being done with college. Thanks so much for your help every semester. I doubt that I would have ever come close to finishing my degree without our meetings and check-ins. Without your support I would have had to put my college education on hold while I went to doctor after doctor. "
— W
"Andrea, you are a beautiful person inside and out. I will never forget you… for the rest of my life."
— C
“When I came to college I feared difficulties I experienced in school based on my ‘Language Based Learning Disability.’ Andrea helped me feel more confident, and now I’m three semesters away from graduating in the Photography MFA program.”
— D
“This is the first time I’ve ever felt like a student (instead of a student with a learning disability), and that I’ve learned as I’ve studied. (Usually I figure out how to pass the classes as I go, then figure out what I was doing and why later.) For the first time ever, I enjoy being a student. Thank you.”
— W
What Parents Are Saying:
"We have become a team, Andrea… and I am so tremendously grateful for your collaboration."
— T
"Thank you so much for all your input and great company. You really care; it’s very obvious. D is very excited and has some great ideas for his studies."
— S
"J and I can’t find adequate ways to thank you for supporting E in these first challenging weeks of school. Your dedication and extra-ordinary calmness anchor him."
— T
"You made everything so manageable. You always looked after him."
— S
“I have known Andrea Keklikian since 2007, when my son enrolled at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she was a counselor. Andrea had regular sessions with my son for the entire time he was there. These sessions helped him stay organized and focused, and were very instrumental in him graduating on time in 2012.
She has maintained her relationship as friend and counselor my son to this day.
Her calm demeanor, compassionate listening, and solid advice have helped him confront the challenges of young adulthood and marriage. We are overjoyed that she has maintained this position in his life. We are eternally grateful to her.”
— T
"I'm so grateful for your skills and compassion."
— M
This was written by the mom of a client I’ve worked with for almost 20 years.
In 2006 I flew across the United States with my 18 year old son to meet Andrea, a leader in student support and accessibility at the Academy of Art University.
Just two years previous, our son’s lifelong dream of going to college in California seemed to abruptly end with a catastrophic rock climbing fall which forced our only child to relearn to walk, think, and navigate a completely altered future. He was lucky to be alive.
Before his accident, he had been a top high school honors student who excelled in his engineering and music classes. He volunteered with disabled kids in a unified sports league that brought great pride to the parents of students whose youngsters were typically excluded.
He was handsome, athletic, popular, well-traveled. He had a list of life-adventure goals taped to his bathroom mirror that included “climb Mt. Fuji in Japan.” He was a global traveler who could not imagine limitations.
As he recovered from his life-altering accident, his determination to attend college in California escalated. He simply had to find a way to succeed as a learner in a dynamic place like San Francisco, a place where he could start a new life. One that would return him to independence.
So, this is where Andrea’s miraculous entry into our lives became so important. His post-accident brain created learning issues that would make college challenging and potentially lengthy. He needed one-on-one support from a skilled professional with deep experience who was willing to work with his nervous parents.
As I walked into Andrea’s San Francisco office after my long flight, nervous about the wisdom of depositing my still-healing son in a place so far away, I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
As Director of Accessibility Resources, Andrea intuitively sensed my worry and carefully, calmly explained how her services would help our son establish himself in a brand new city and school as he got to know his way around the cultural melting pot that is San Francisco.
Her superior counseling skills were obvious from the start as she explained how they would interact with each other weekly. He liked her immediately and I knew that she was going to be just the co-pilot that might lead him to a solid career and economic independence from us.
Before leaving, she reassured me that each week she would meticulously examine his classroom assignments with him, breaking them down into steps that he could accomplish.
Andrea and I regularly spoke each Friday for four years, so that our team approach to his recovery continued. Andrea become the architect of a future filled with our son’s stunning successes. He grew in skill and confidence, moving to the top of his class and graduating with internships in prestigious advertising agencies in San Francisco.
On his graduation day, with Andrea in our elated entourage, his department head took me aside and told me, “he is the best of all the students that I have worked with….he juices each opportunity with incredible passion.”
Andrea shepherded him through absolutely every academic, personal, and learning challenge during his college years with her extraordinary abilities. She recognized that educating and supporting parents in parallel with student skill-building creates a team approach that is essential to long-term success.
Since his graduation twenty years ago, he has worked with major corporations and established himself as a creative, sought-after videographer with a tremendous portfolio. He is married and is currently working again with Andrea as his career and life coach.
She is the single most influential force for change and developing insights into who he is and can become.