Ando started to skate at age nine. Two years later, she landed her first triple jump, a Salchow. Ando is the first and so far only lady skater to perform a quadruple jump (Salchow) in competition (ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, The Hague, Dec. 2002). Before she focused on skating, Ando tried many other activities such as swimming, ballet, playing the piano, calligraphy. Ando's idol in skating is 1994 World Champion Yuka Sato. She also felt inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's performance at the 1998 Olympic Games. Ando took a break from competitive skating and had a baby (daughter Himawari, born in April 2013) before returning to competition in fall 2013.