Remarkable Women: Hardworking mother and future lawyer Julie Brown defies odds

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — Though she may be a busy mother of three, Julie Dobbs Brown defies societal stereotypes one beauty pageant and law class at a time.

“I know I want to be as successful as possible,” Brown told WDHN.

Success is no small measure in Brown’s mind, but her path hasn’t been without obstacles named Pearce and Everett, Brown’s twin boys.

“My life didn’t end when I had kids, and it didn’t end when I got married. I still have every opportunity to do more and to be more,” said Brown.

There’s a saying that the best things can happen when you least expect them, and that could certainly be the case with Brown, as her twins came unplanned when she was just 21 years old.

“Our society tends to look down on single mothers… And they think that everything’s over now because they have kids,” said Brown.

Instead of letting a change of plans deter her, Brown kicked it into another gear, taking up to 10 classes a semester to finish undergrad before having her boys. She is now actively pursuing law school.

In law school, she was met with more surprises: her now husband, Shane, and his daughter, who fit right in with Julie and her sons.

“I knew that, you know, he would be a great father figure. He was kind of everything that I was looking for a future father and a best friend. And he just fit that perfectly,” Brown said.

Yet the unexpected would not deter Brown, even if it meant having to finish a law paper on her wedding day. One thing Brown thought was over was her pageant life, but her passion reigned after Miss Alabama USA implemented a rule allowing mothers to compete.

“They announced it on the television, and I’m pretty sure I started screaming, and my husband was working at the time. So I immediately called him up and was like, Shane, you’ll never guess what I was like. I can compete,” said Brown. “Being able to do that as one of the first moms. As one of the first wives on the Alabama stage. I’m hoping that it speaks to a lot of the younger girls out there that, like I said earlier, it doesn’t end when you get married or when you have kids. You can still be, you know, confidently beautiful. You can still do all these amazing things.”

In her professional life, Brown works as a legal analyst for PGM of Texas at their branch in Daleville, on top of that piling on volunteer work, whether that be promoting substance abuse awareness or meeting with youth groups as a motivational speaker

“If I had a purpose, I would say that. I want to make sure that other people know. That they have the capacity to be more and to do more,” said Brown. “I mean, everybody has, everybody has this ability to do more. I know I’m not going to do that to everyone. Some of them may not even want to listen to me, but if I can pour into at least one. Person, I mean that makes. I mean that makes everything for me.”

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