How Atherton Student Ava Cochran Turned a Childhood Passion into a Career Path with Jay Smith of 10x Velocity

“My goal is to show students that if they’re passionate about something, they can absolutely make a career out of it—and they don’t have to wait. There’s no checkboxes that they have to meet before they jump into society and figure it out. They can start right now.”

These words from Jay Smith, Co-Founder and Chief Automation Engineer of 10x Velocity, represent the core mission of the Academies of Louisville. For many, high school is a period of waiting; for recent Atherton High School graduate Ava Cochran, it was the start of her professional life.

Ava is the living proof of Jay’s philosophy. Long before she walked across the graduation stage, she was already leveraging a childhood passion into a career-starting opportunity, proving that when the right mentorship meets the right pathway, the traditional career timeline disappears.

From Digital Native to Professional Editor

Ava’s journey into media arts began long before she entered high school. As a middle schooler, she was already building a platform, editing videos for Instagram and TikTok and amassing over 10,000 followers by creating content centered on celebrities and TV shows.

“When I found out about Atherton, I saw that I could go into a program for media arts and I was like, ‘This is perfect for me,’” Ava recalls. Inside the classroom of Atherton Media Arts teacher Holly McArthur, that raw interest was refined into a professional skillset. Ava mastered Adobe Premiere Pro, Lightroom, and Photoshop, but McArthur pushed her beyond the technical.

“It’s not just all about the technical side—what camera you're shooting on or what programs you use,” McArthur explains. “It’s about being able to market yourself. We try hard to get students out of the walls of the classroom so they are engaging with other adults and professionals. They build a level of confidence they usually wouldn’t get until a college level.”

Jay Smith

The Bravery to Ask

The true strength of the Academy model is the bridge it builds between the classroom and the local economy. Inspired by the model of intentional engagement from partners like WireCrafters—who have created a direct pipeline from PRP High School to professional careers—Jay set out to create a similar feeder system for his own firm, 10x Velocity.

Jay’s partnership with Atherton wasn't a hands-off sponsorship; it was built through consistent engagement. During Ava’s junior and senior years, Jay was a frequent presence in the Media Arts classroom, visiting six to eight times a year to lead projects and mentor students. This allowed him to see Ava’s technical growth in real-time. When Ava realized her initial interest in healthcare wasn't the right fit, she leaned on the professional network she had built in the media lab. She reached out to her videography teacher, Steve Boros, who connected her with Jay to help her find a marketing-focused role.

That connection initially led Ava to a three-month social media marketing internship with another local firm, Director of Marketing Inc. It was there that she fell in love with the field, also managing school accounts and social media campaigns. Having proven to herself that she could handle the professional workload, Ava returned to her roots on her very last day of high school. She didn’t just say goodbye; she made a move for her future by approaching Jay with a direct request.

“I talked to him in person and I was like, ‘Hey Jay… I need a job,’” Ava says.

“The fact that she approached me—that sold it right there,” Jay remembers. “I’m not teaching them the raw technical skills; they learn those at JCPS. I want them to learn how to speak to adults and engage with potential clients. Because I had worked with her in the school program for two years, I already knew her and I knew the quality of her work. That networking was much stronger because the foundation was already there.”

A New Generation of Talent

The success of this partnership ties together Jay’s long-standing philosophy with Ava’s personal drive. By taking the lessons learned from the WireCrafters model and applying them to 10x Velocity, Jay has created a space where students turn passions into careers.

Today, Ava is already in her second semester at Bellarmine University, but she isn't waiting for graduation to build her resume. Jay hired her at 10x Velocity to handle contract work, where she will manage social media, conduct marketing research, assist with event coordination, and of course edit videos while in college. This flexible, professional arrangement allows her to apply her classroom theories in real-time while providing Jay’s business with a competitive, "Gen Z" edge.

“You don’t need to read a Forbes article to figure out how to work with Gen Z,” Jay says. “If you want to figure out how to work with Gen Z, work with them. I want businesses to understand there are a hundred thousand students in JCPS. You can engage with them right now.”

For Ava, the result is a level of readiness that her peers are only beginning to seek. “Your ideas can become a reality in the Atherton Media Arts pathway,” she says. “Without Jay and these connections, I wouldn't be where I am today. I feel very ready for my career.”

Check out Ava’s portfolio here.