Andrew Demetric Gillum was born in Miami in 1979 and raised in Gainesville, Florida. He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1998 and later attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), majoring in political science. During his time at FAMU, Gillum served as president of the Student Government Association from 2001 to 2002 and was the first student member of the FAMU Board of Trustees.