All through her high school years, Julie dreamed of one day entertaining large audiences. She took her first step toward that dream by representing her home town of Centralia in the Jr. Miss Pageant. Pageants seemed to come naturally, and Julie went on to win the title of Miss North East Kansas, Miss Arlington, Miss Bauder Fashion College, Miss Yellow Pages and Miss Urban Cowgirl. She was also a finalist in the Miss World and Miss Kansas Pageants, but Julie knew
there was more to her dream of entertaining.

Before graduation from Axtell High School in Kansas, she enrolled in Barbizon School of Modeling (she would later teach at Barbizon in Dallas). She also attended the prestigious Bauder Fashion College further enhancing her modeling career. At this time, she also took acting and voice lessons making her a triple threat. Always one to strive for the best, Julie opened her own modeling/promotional agency out of "too many jobs" to handle herself. She landed such national accounts as