Henderson was 'discovered' when she was 13 at the Barbizon Modeling School of Texas. Local ads and commercials followed her discovery, and by the time she was 16 she was already signed to New York Model Management. After graduation from Katy High School, she went to France to join Ford Models, then moved to New York City and began appearing within the pages of magazines such as Elle Girl and Teen Vogue. While in New York, Henderson modeled on the television show Behind the Velvet Rope. In 2002, she was named "overall professional female model of the year" at the Modeling Association of America International Convention. Henderson subsequently booked gigs worldwide and began doing print work for magazines like Harper's Bazaar. In 2007, she made her first appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and returned in 2008, 2009, and 2010.[citation needed]