Julie was a three sport High School athlete at HHS in volleyball, Basketball and Softball. In Basketball her teams were District, Region and VA state runner-up. Her individual accomplishments included the '93 Daily News Leader Tip Off Invitational Free Throw Champ, '94 WHSV-TV Student Athlete of the Week, '94 Claude E. Warren Scholarship, '94 "Most Athletic Female for the Senior Class". She was also a leader in her class being named to '94 National Honor Society, '94 Harrisonburg Rotary Club Code of Ethics Award, '93- '94 Homecoming Queen and '93 - '94 Prom Queen

Her collegiate career was at Mary Washington College where she played Basketball from '94-97 ending her junior year with a knee injury. She taught in public education in both Virginia and North Carolina achieving various Teacher of the Year recognitions and awards. Currently she is an Exceptional Children's Teacher at Lola Valley Elementary School Franklin, NC; Macon County Public Schools. She is also an Elementary Day Treatment Lead Teacher; Macon County Public Schools Elementary Behavior Specialist.

Her Grandfather Welford "Dutch" Simmons Football 1943, 44, 47 is in the HHS Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2011