Biography
Who is Maya Higa?
Early life and education
Maya Higa was born on May 24, 1998, in Northern California to a Japanese-Okinawan father and an American mother. She grew up on a farm as the youngest child in a family that included her parents, two brothers, and one sister.
She attended Mountain View High School before enrolling at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Maya graduated in June 2020 with a bachelor's degree focused on agricultural education and communication. During her university years, she gained practical experience through internships at the Charles Paddock Zoo, Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary, and Zoo to You Conservation Ambassadors, where she worked on exotic animal husbandry and outreach.
Streaming and podcast career
Maya began her path on Twitch in February 2019, originally focusing on singing content to build her confidence. Her popularity grew significantly in April 2019 after a video of her performing falconry with a red-tailed hawk named Bean went viral on Reddit. In July 2019, she launched the Conservation Cast podcast to educate viewers through interviews with scientific communicators and wildlife experts from groups like the American Eagle Foundation and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Her YouTube channel, Maya, was established on August 8, 2019, to host her vlog content and livestream highlights. By 2026, her digital presence included over one million Twitch followers and 1.16 million YouTube subscribers. She has used these platforms to raise more than $7.5 million for various conservation causes since she started her career.
Alveus Sanctuary and conservation work
In February 2021, Maya held a 21-hour charity stream that raised $573,000 to establish her non-profit, Alveus Sanctuary. This organization serves as an exotic animal sanctuary and a center for virtual education located in Austin, Texas. She also joined the governing board of the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Central and South Texas during this same month.
In 2025, she announced the expansion of her work through the Alveus Research and Recovery Institute, known as ARRI. This project aims to breed and release endangered species in North America, beginning with wolves. Maya also collaborated with National Geographic in 2026 on digital media initiatives for conservation. Later that year, she became the first Twitch streamer to present a TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada, regarding the intersection of digital media and wildlife education.
Career highlights and controversies
Maya has received various professional recognitions, including the League of Their Own award at the 2025 Streamer Awards. She has also served as an ambassador for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation and worked with the World Wildlife Fund on their Nature Breaking podcast. In 2024, she was ranked among the most-watched female streamers across all platforms during the months of April and May.
In September 2022, she and her partner Mizkif were accused by streamer Trainwreckstv of covering up an incident involving sexual assault by another creator. Maya denied these allegations of a cover-up and apologized for her involvement before taking a temporary two-month hiatus from streaming. She returned to her platform in November 2022 with a renewed focus on producing educational content for her sanctuary.
Birthday and age
Maya Higa was born on May 24, 1998, which makes Maya 28 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Maya shares the date with 63 other famous people.
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