Ava Michelle

Michelle began dancing at age two in Michigan. Her mother, Jeanette Cota, opened JC's Broadway Dance Academy in Fenton, where Michelle trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and pointe. By 2015, her training schedule reached roughly 30 hours each week under studio instructors and private ballet coaches. She also performed as a member of the Detroit Pistons Mob Squad dance group.

Television brought her wider attention in 2013. She debuted on Lifetime's Dance Moms during season three auditions before Abby Lee Miller placed her on the junior select ensemble in season four. Her time on the show was turbulent. Miller cut her from the team, citing her height as a mismatch for group routines. Michelle returned in later seasons to compete against Miller's studio, performing with both her mother's academy and Candy Apple's Dance Center. In 2016, she entered season 13 of So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, advancing to the top 100.

Michelle transitioned into screen acting through television guest spots and short films. In 2018, she appeared as a model in two episodes of CBS's daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She also acted in and choreographed the short film This Is Me, alongside appearances in the shorts Mamma Mia! and A Christmas Dinner.

Her breakthrough arrived in 2019. Netflix cast Michelle in the lead role of Jodi Kreyman for the comedy film Tall Girl. The plot centered on a 16-year-old high school student struggling with insecurities about her 6-foot-1 frame. The role mirrored Michelle's own experiences in dance and casting calls. The film was released in September 2019. Michelle returned to the role in April 2021 when production began on the sequel, Tall Girl 2, which premiered on Netflix in 2022. She also appeared in the 2020 musical television project Zombies 2: The Collab.

Michelle started walking fashion runways as a teenager. She made her runway debut at New York Fashion Week in 2017. She later modeled in designer presentations across the country, where she spoke about body positivity and self-acceptance in the fashion and entertainment industries.

Advocacy became a central focus online. In 2018, Michelle launched the social media campaign #13Reasons4Me. The project encouraged participants to list 13 qualities they loved about themselves in response to bullying and self-image struggles among teenagers.