Yulia was born and raised in Ukraine. She attended private school specializing in languages and international culture. She graduated with honors and received a scholarship to the National Linguistic University. After her first year, she started teaching other students and her hard work was rewarded when she achieved her Bachelor Degree in English Translation in just 3 years.

During that time she met friends from the United States who came to Europe for vacation. They told her all about different places worth visiting in America. That was the first time she heard about Branson, Missouri.

After graduation from college, Yulia took a trip to the United States and when she saw Branson she was amazed by the beauty of its nature and lakes, combined with all the shows and entertainment the area has to offer. Soon thereafter, she gained a work visa and made Branson her new home.

Yulia began working at Advanced Fun Technology as their accountant, traveling with them across the US. But even after visiting so many different states, she never saw a place that was as charming as Branson so she came back and started working at Grand Country Resort as front desk supervisor. Customer service soon became her favorite field of work.

It was during this time, Yulia began working on the exciting path towards American citizenship, a journey that would take her 5 years to accomplish.

While looking to purchase her first home, Yulia decided to get her Missouri real estate license and began helping other people find their dream homes.

Two years into her real estate career and working exclusively with Charlie Gerken as a sales team, they married in Jamaica in 2015.

Since then, Yulia continues to grow as a licensed Realtor. In addition to obtaining her Broker's license, Yulia is a CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) Designee. This is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents, managers and brokers. Compared to the average Realtor, CRS agents produce three times the number of annual transactions.

Yulia is also a Broker with Gerken & Associates, and aside from selling commercial and residential real estate, her responsibilities include oversight of office management, promotional materials and accounting.

Together, Yulia and Charlie Gerken enjoy working as a husband and wife team taking great pride in customer care and management of the firm's success.