Katie Novak was born in Brunswick, GA to Carmen and Steve Wilkinson. She grew up moving often, while her father served in the US Navy. She began modeling while living in Yokosuka, Japan at the age of 13. In 2013, She graduated from The University of Southern Maine with a degree in Biomedical Science. She entered the New England modeling market in 2016, and signed with Maggie Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. She went on to sign with Locke Models in North Carolina, Empowered Model Management in New York, and Scout Models & Talent in San Francisco and Los Angeles.