Following her high school graduation in Manhattan, Kansas, Inger briefly settled in Kansas City before pursuing acting in New York City. Eagerly accepting any modeling opportunities, eighteen-year-old Inger even modeled medical equipment! On April 16, 1953, Inger Stensland was featured in the Kansas City Star. Inger demonstrated an oxygen machine at the Mid-West Hospital Association's convention. Inger would make her television debut in a Vel detergent commercial and reluctantly accept the stage name Inger Stevens just one year later.
