Maya Higa

Maya Elaine Higa[7][8] was born to a Japanese father and an American mother in Northern California[9] on May 24, 1998,[8] and grew up there on a farm as the youngest sibling with her parents, two brothers, and a sister.[10][9] She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education and communication in June 2020.[11][12]

Higa began streaming on Twitch in February 2019. Her streams consist of various activities such as music and falconry, along with spreading conservation awareness.[13][14] 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.[15][16]

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.[6] 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.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20]

In February 2021, Higa officially joined the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Central and South Texas as a governing board member.[18]

In November 2021, Higa began to co-host the Wine About It podcast alongside her friend and fellow Twitch streamer, QTCinderella.[21] Wine About It went on hiatus in September 2022 after Higa announced her “indefinite” break from online content creation, a decision which stemmed from the backlash she received of her alleged involvement in covering up a sexual assault scandal.[22][23][24]

On March 12, 2022, Higa co-hosted the first Streamer Awards show with QTCinderella at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California.[25]

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.[26][27]

Using her platform on Twitch, Higa has raised over $1,000,000 collectively from viewer donations.[18]

On January 21, 2023, Higa was announced as an ambassador for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. [28]

Higa began dating fellow Twitch streamer Matthew Rinaudo, also known by his online alias Mizkif, in 2019.[29] On September 14, 2021, Rinaudo announced on Twitter that he and Higa had ended their relationship.[30]