Senior Spotlight-Xzandria Ayling

On a hot April afternoon, Xzandria Ayling sat cross-legged at the lunch table, her laptop open, scrolling through images of Parisian cafés and Balinese beaches. Her friends chatted about prom dates and graduation parties, but her mind was already thousands of miles away.
“I have always known I was not meant to stay in one place,” she said, her eyes reflecting the kind of determination that does not waver.
As a senior with big dreams and an even bigger heart for travel,she is preparing to take her first step toward a life of global adventure. After graduation, she plans to attend the
University of Houston and major in Global Tourism, Hospitality, and Business—a path she says perfectly blends her love for people, places, and planning.
“I want to help others experience the world the way I dream about it,” Ayling said. “There is so much beauty out there, and I want to be the person who helps someone find their perfect
getaway or run their dream resort.”
Her passion for travel was not born in a single moment—but shaped by years of imagining a life beyond the borders of her hometown. From a young age, she remembers watching travel
shows with her grandmother, the two of them pointing at cruise ships and laughing about becoming “world-class vacation testers.”
“We’d joke about backpacking across Europe, even though she hated the idea of a shared hostel bathroom,” Ayling laughed. “But it was those small moments that made me fall in love
with the idea of exploring.”
Now, as she wraps up her senior year, she is already building the foundation for the future she wants. Between school clubs, volunteering, and juggling multiple jobs, Ayling says every
experience has given her a taste of what she is chasing.
“Working taught me how to communicate with people from all walks of life,” she said. “It is not just about tolerating people-it is about making them feel welcome, like they belong. That is what I want to do on a global scale.”