Maya Higa

Maya Higa was born in California on May 24, 1998, to a Japanese father and an American mother. She grew up with her two brothers and sister on a farm in Northern California.[6][7] She is the youngest of her siblings. She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education and communication in June 2020.[8][9]

Higa began streaming on Twitch in February 2019. Her streams consist of various activities such as music and falconry, along with spreading conservation awareness.[10][11] Early in her streaming career, she saw significant growth after a falconry video with her juvenile red-tailed hawk named Bean went viral on Reddit. After she celebrated her 21st birthday by holding a charity stream for 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, a local homeless coalition that she previously volunteered at, she gained media attention from local news.[12][13]

In July 2019, Higa started the Conservation Cast, a podcast where viewers learn about animals and gather information from experts such as conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, and scientific communicators.[5] The first episode of the podcast raised US$3,000 for the American Eagle Foundation. The podcast has also featured speakers from organizations such as Save the Rhino, the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.[14] Conservation Cast has raised more than US$80,000 with 63 episodes for wildlife protection organizations around the globe.

In October 2020, Higa became a part of the Board of Directors for a wildlife rehabilitation center in Central Texas. Her role focuses on raptor rehabilitation and husbandry.[15]

On February 10, 2021, Higa held a 21-hour charity stream for her newly founded non-profit exotic animal sanctuary and virtual education center known as Alveus Sanctuary.[1] The stream was highlighted by an auction that sold off items such as a golden shovel owned by Sodapoppin, Gucci loafers owned by T-Pain, and a signed jersey from xQc. The most expensive item auctioned off was a 1-hour gaming session with streamer and former professional CS:GO player Shroud, purchased by fellow streamer Ludwig Ahgren for $53,000.[16] Shortly after reaching her goal of US$500,000, Higa shaved her head, fulfilling a promise she made a few weeks prior. All together, she raised US$578,000.[17]

In February 2021, Higa officially joined the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Central and South Texas as a governing board member.[15]

Since November 2021, Higa co-hosts the Wine About It podcast alongside her friend and fellow Twitch streamer, QTCinderella.[18]

On March 12, 2022, Higa co-hosted the first Streamer Awards show with QTCinderella at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California.[19]

On March 30, 2022, Higa started Conservation Uncharted, a travel series of live streams focused on different aspects of wildlife conservation, with a whale watching trip joined by Whale and Dolphin Conservation, raising over US$4,000 in under 2 hours.[20][21]

Using her platform on Twitch, Higa has raised over $600,000 collectively from viewer donations.[15]

Higa began dating fellow Twitch streamer Matthew Rinaudo, also known by his online alias Mizkif, in 2019.[22][23] On September 14, 2021, Rinaudo announced on Twitter that he and Higa had ended their relationship.[24]