Ayla was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. She studied Anthropology at Brandon University, then moved to Winnipeg where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Manitoba. After traveling across the U.S. and Canada to participate in various residencies, she moved to Logan, Utah, where she received her MFA in Ceramics from Utah State University. Her childhood obsession with taking things apart to understand how they work still manifests today in her ceramic, sculptural and fiber-based works.