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Connections

'Travelpreneur' helps hundreds see the world

Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has short dark hair and is wearing a purple turtleneck, blue jeans and knee high brown boots; a man front right has short dark hair and is wearing a beige jacket, black shirt, blue jeans and sneakers; a woman back left has long dark braids and is wearing a white button-down shirt over a black t-shirt; a woman back right has long black and purple braids and is wearing glasses and a beige turtleneck sweater.
George Yeadon
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Racquel Stephen, (background) Tarshia Shanai Franklin and Valincia Tyson with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, February 18, 2026
WXXI News

When a girls' trip failed to make it out of a group chat, a business was born.

Tarshia Shanai Franklin is one of the top-ranked travel agents in the world. She founded her agency, Sky High Society, after the aforementioned girls' trip became a solo trip and she decided to become a "travelpreneur." She has since helped hundreds of people see the world.

Throughout the month of February, WXXI News' Racquel Stephen is highlighting Black community members whose work may be under the radar but is making a big difference.

In part two of the series, we talk with Tarshia Shanai Franklin about her work, her travels, and what it means to pursue her passion. This conversation is part of WXXI's celebration of Black History Month.

Our guests:

To read Racquel Stephen's story on Tarshia Shanai Franklin, click here.

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.