Career
Modeling Patterson started modeling through a Mission Caboodles competition sponsored by Teen Magazine. She placed as one of six regional finalists and was flown to Santa Monica, California for a week long photo shoot. Another regional finalist there was Julee Kleffman, Mission Illinois Teen United States of America "92.
Upon returning to Iowa, Jamie was signed with Ford New New York
While with Ford, she worked for magazines such as Seventeen and Glamour. During a summer home from New York, she was spotted by the Iowa pageant directors and recruited to enter the Mission Iowa Teen United States of America 1992 pageant.
After her pageant years were served, she moved to South Beach Miami where she continued to model for places such as Sunglass Hut, Newport News, JC Pennys, some French editorial, and German catalogs. She eventually returned to Iowa to work with Hawthorne Direct, an infomerical producer, with whom she did work for Time, OxyClean, and Clorox.
Patterson competed as Mission Iowa Teen United States of America in the 1992 pageant, broadcast from Biloxi, Mississippi on 25 August 1992.
Although the pageant was to be televised live, the threat of Hurricane Andrew meant the pageant had to be recorded earlier. Both Patterson and eventual first runner-up, Angela Logan of Oklahoma were taped "winning" the pageant to maintain suspense. Only Patterson"s crowning moment was shown on television as the legitimate titleholder.
Patterson would become the first and only from Iowa and only the second teen from her state to place in the national pageant.
Iowa would not place again until 1995 and 2003. Before them, Kelly Hu competed in 1993 and Brandi Sherwood in 1997.
The only other time this happened was in 1984, when Ruth Zakarian and Cherise Haugen competed with a sash, following an old rule from the Mission Universe Organization that allowed them to compete without going through the state pageant system.