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Maya Higa

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Maya Higa
Maya Higa in 2023
Personal information
Born
Maya Elaine Higa

(1998-05-24) May 24, 1998 (age 26)
California, U.S.
EducationCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (BS)
Occupations
Signature
Website
Twitch information
Also known as
  • Bird Girl
  • Mayo
[1]
Channel
LocationAustin, Texas, U.S.[2]
Years active
  • 2019 – September 2022
  • November 2022–present
Genres
Followers796 thousand
Associated actsAlveus Sanctuary • QTCinderella
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers867 thousand (main channel)
1.48 million (combined)[a][3]
Total views110.03 million (main channel)
257.64 million (combined)[b][3]
100,000 subscribers2021, 2021, 2023, 2023
Last updated: April 5, 2024

Maya Elaine Higa (born May 24, 1998) is an American conservationist, falconer,[4] wildlife rehabilitator, Twitch streamer, and YouTuber. She is the founder of Alveus Sanctuary,[5] a non-profit exotic animal sanctuary and virtual education center based in Austin, Texas.[6]

Higa started streaming in 2019 and gained popularity for her content related to animals, conservation, and education. In 2021, she held a 21-hour charity stream that raised over $500,000 to establish her non-profit exotic animal sanctuary and virtual education center, Alveus Sanctuary. Higa also co-hosts the Wine About It podcast with fellow Twitch streamer QTCinderella. Higa has also collaborated with various conservation organizations, such as the American Eagle Foundation and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. As of April 2024, she has over 796,000 followers on Twitch and 867,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Early life

[edit]
The Agricultural Sciences Building in Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where Higa studied agricultural education and communication

Maya Elaine Higa[7][2] was born to a Japanese-Okinawan father[8] and an American mother in Northern California[9] on May 24, 1998,[2] and grew up there on a farm as the youngest sibling with her parents, two brothers, and a sister.[10][9][11]

She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education and communication in June 2020.[12][13] During her time at college, she worked for Zoo to You Conservation Ambassadors, Charles Paddock Zoo, and Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary as an intern, doing outreach education and exotic animal husbandry.[14][11] She was also a 4-H county All Star ambassador in June 2016.[14]

Career

[edit]

2019–2020: Early career and initial popularity

[edit]

Higa began streaming on Twitch in February 2019, after her streamer friends encouraged her to do so after they saw a clip of her singing on her Instagram.[15][16] She originally started streaming in the music category on Twitch and did mainly singing content. She said that the reason she started doing singing streams was because she wanted to get more comfortable singing in front of people.[15] Early in her streaming career, she saw significant growth after a falconry livestream clip with her juvenile red-tailed hawk named Bean went viral on Reddit around April 2019.[16] In May 2019, she gained media attention from local news after she celebrated her 21st birthday by holding a charity stream for the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, a local homeless coalition that she previously volunteered for.[11][16][17] As her fame grew, her streams evolved to encompass a wider range of activities other than music, such as falconry, along with spreading conservation awareness.[11][15]

Higa in 2020

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.[18] 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.[19] Conservation Cast has raised more than US$92,000 with 63 episodes for wildlife protection organizations around the globe.[18][14]

Higa created her YouTube channel, Maya, on August 8, 2019. At the beginning, she mostly uploaded her Twitch livestream highlights, such as her IRL streams and vlog content.[20]

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.[14]

2021: Founding of Alveus Sanctuary

[edit]
Main article: Alveus Sanctuary
Higa in 2021

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 US$53,000.[21] 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$573,000.[1]

In February 2021, Higa officially joined the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Central and South Texas as a governing board member.[14]

2022: Streamer Awards, controversy, and hiatus

[edit]

On March 1, 2022, Higa was featured in the second annual World Woman Hour, a digital series presented by the World Woman Foundation dedicated to highlighting 60 inspirational stories of women from all walks of life.[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 livestreams 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 two hours.[26][27][28]

On September 19, 2022, Higa and Mizkif were accused by fellow Twitch streamer Trainwreckstv of downplaying and covering up an incident where fellow streamer CrazySlick allegedly sexually assaulted female streamer AdrianahLee. Higa released a public statement on Twitter via twitlonger apologizing for her involvement and stating that she did not cover up sexual assault and would take leave from streaming.[29][30][31][32]

After a two-month hiatus, Higa returned to streaming in November 2022. Higa stated her intentions to stream less on her main channel and reorient efforts into producing educational conservation content for Alveus Sanctuary.[33][34]

2023: Collaborations

[edit]
Higa in 2023 during a stream at Alveus Sanctuary

As of January 2023, Higa has raised over US$1,000,000 collectively from viewer donations using Twitch.[14] On January 21, 2023, Higa was announced as an ambassador for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation.[35][36][37]

On April 4, 2023, Higa collaborated with Twitch and hosted Nerve Center presented by Ally, a sponsored education show based around Alveus Sanctuary with several online creators, including Daily Dose of Internet, Lacari, Dareon, and Caroline Kwan.[38][39][40]

On October 1, 2023, Higa co-hosted The Gala for Good charity auction stream with QTCinderella. Over US$250,000 was raised for rainforest conservation at the event, with donations going to five non-profit environmental organizations, including Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Fund, Rainforest Foundation US, and Rainforest Trust.[41][42]

2024–present: Continued growth

[edit]

According to Stream Hatchet, a data intelligence company focusing on live streaming analytics, Higa was the 10th most watched female streamer across all platforms for the month of April 2024, with an average minute viewership (AMA) of 7000.[43] She later appeared again as the 5th most watched female streamer across all platforms for the month of May 2024, with an AMA of 8000.[44]

Other ventures

[edit]
QTCinderella_and_Maya_Higa_TwitchCon_2023
Higa with QTCinderella at a TwitchCon panel for Wine About It in 2023

Wine About It Podcast

[edit]

In November 2021, Higa began to co-host the Wine About It podcast alongside her friend and fellow Twitch streamer, QTCinderella.[45] 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 for her alleged involvement in covering up a sexual assault scandal.[46][47] On March 11, 2023, the duo announced the return of the podcast alongside the launch of the Wine About It Patreon.[48][49]

Personal life

[edit]

Higa previously lived in California before moving to Austin, Texas, in May 2020.[50] She currently lives in a custom-built 390-square-foot tiny house on site at Alveus Sanctuary.[2][51][52]

Between 2019 and 2021, Higa was in a relationship with fellow Twitch streamer Mizkif. On September 14, 2021, Mizkif announced on Twitter that he and Higa had ended their relationship.[53][54] Since 2022, Higa has been in a relationship with someone outside of the online entertainment industry.[55]

In April 2023, Higa uploaded a video on YouTube titled "meet my pets" showcasing her collection of animals. At that time, Higa had 12 pets, including a Kiger mustang horse named Acero, a Weimaraner dog named Bella, and a Chihuahua-pit bull mix dog named Maverick.[56]

Filmography

[edit]
Web roles
Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2021 TwitchGaming: Hivemind Herself Twitch Participant; Season 2: Episode 9 [57]
OTK Clipped Guest; Episode 1, 6, 9 [58][59][60]
OTK Loot Goblins Guest; Season 1: Episode 3 [61]
OTK Gameday Participant; Two episodes [62][63]
2022 Name Your Price Guest; One episode [64]
OTK Island of Riches Guest; Episode 1 [65]

Discography

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
[edit]
List of singles as a featured artist
Year Title Album Details Ref.
2019 "I" (with AtotheT) Echos From The Suicidal Soldier
  • Release date: May 11, 2019
  • Producer: Fiend
 [66][67][68]
2021 "Shoot for the Stars" (with Mitch Jones) Broken
  • Release date: December 3, 2021
  • Producer: SMLE and Used Beats
 [69][70][71]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Subscribers, broken down by channel:
    867 thousand (Maya)
    180 thousand (Maya Daily)
    18.3 thousand (Maya Clips)
    10.1 thousand (Maya Vods)
    231 thousand (Alveus Sanctuary)
    31.6 thousand (Alveus Sanctuary Highlights)
    151 thousand (Wine About It)
  2. ^ Views, broken down by channel:
    110.03 million (Maya)
    46.798 million (Maya Daily)
    16.532 million (Maya Clips)
    1.443 million (Maya Vods)
    60.970 million (Alveus Sanctuary)
    5.10 million (Alveus Sanctuary Highlights)
    16.769 million (Wine About It)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Asarch, Steven (February 12, 2021). "Twitch streamers helped 'Bird Girl' Maya Higa raise over $500,000 to build her own animal sanctuary". Insider. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Tsiaoussidis, Alex (September 5, 2022). "Who is Maya Higa? History, Twitch earnings, age, setup". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "About Maya". YouTube.
  4. ^ Wilde, Thomas (March 15, 2021). "Livestreaming market report: Women increase their presence on Twitch, and everyone's playing chess". GeekWire. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  5. ^ Higa, Maya. "Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Galloway, Ryan (February 11, 2021). "Maya raises over $500,000 for her nonprofit organization Alveus during charity stream". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Hartikainen, Nico (February 5, 2023). "Striimaaja jäi kiinni hyvin kyseenalaisista pornovideoista – pyyteli itkien anteeksi vaimo rinnallaan" [The streamer got caught in very dubious porn videos – crying and apologizing with his wife by his side]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  8. ^ HealthyGamerGG (April 23, 2020). "How to deal with Impostor Syndrome ft. Maya Dr. K Interviews". Event occurs at 1:22. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via YouTube. It's Japanese, my dad's Okinawan.
  9. ^ a b Higa, Maya (March 27, 2020). "draw my life – mayahiga". YouTube. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Chase (January 5, 2020). "Streamovator: Mayahiga". StreamElements. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2023. I grew up on a farm in Northern California and have loved animals my whole life.
  11. ^ a b c d Richman, Olivia (February 20, 2021). ""Animals are endlessly fascinating and so honest": Maya Higa uses Twitch to raise money for conservation". Invenglobal. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Unconventional Wisdom for Mindset Change & Fixing Productivity w/ Maya – Dr. K Interviews". YouTube. May 20, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cal Poly student raises $32,000 for local homeless in video stream". Cal Coast Times. May 27, 2019. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "About Maya". Alveus Sanctuary. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Desatoff, Sam (January 9, 2020). "Report: Just Chatting was the most popular channel on Twitch in December". GameDaily.biz. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. For creators like MayaHiga, streaming is about more than just video games.
  16. ^ a b c Asarch, Steven (July 3, 2019). "What Makes Twitch Streamer Maya Higa So Special? Might Be the Falcon". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  17. ^ Goare, Aja (May 27, 2019). "Cal Poly student uses gamer streaming website to raise $32k for local homeless". KSBY 6 – San Luis Obispo. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Maya Higa's Conservation Cast – For all information on the Conservation Cast". Conservation Cast. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
  19. ^ Lopez, Jalen (November 21, 2020). "Maya Higa's Conservation Cast raises over $67,000 for charity". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023.
  20. ^ "Maya - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Galloway, Ryan (February 11, 2021). "Ludwig spends $53,000 on an hour of gaming with Shroud after streamers engage in bidding war during charity stream". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "World Woman Foundation Unveils Its Second Edition of World Woman Hour: a 60-Minute Digital Series Spotlighting 60 Female Leaders of Change". PR Newswire. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  23. ^ "Hootsuite celebrates IWD with World Women Hour". Mumbrella. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "WORLD WOMAN HOUR : 60 Women : 60 Stories : 60 Minutes". YouTube. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  25. ^ Polhamus, Blaine (March 13, 2022). "All 2022 Streamer Award Winners". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  26. ^ Higa, Maya (March 23, 2022). "My 2022 travel series begins ON A BOAT! We'll be whale watching, talking marine conservation, and answering all your questions live with @whales_org. See you there!". Twitter. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022.
  27. ^ Higa, Maya (March 30, 2022). "Conservation Uncharted Ep. 1: Whale Watching with !WDC". Twitch (service). Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  28. ^ Braunlich, Sabrina (April 25, 2022). "West Coast Whale Watching with Maya Higa". Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  29. ^ Weekman, Kelsey (September 23, 2022). "Twitch Had An Especially Wild Week". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  30. ^ Parrish, Ash (September 20, 2022). "Streamer involved in Twitch gambling saga now embroiled in sexual assault allegations". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022.
  31. ^ Higa, Maya (September 26, 2022). "My final statement". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Garcia, Ethan (September 25, 2022). "After a week of accusations, Maya Higa is stepping back from streaming". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  33. ^ Polhamus, Blaine (November 15, 2022). "Maya Higa set to return to streaming after self-imposed hiatus". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  34. ^ Tsiaoussidis, Alex (November 17, 2022). "Maya returns after a two-month hiatus, discusses Twitch plans moving forward". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Higa, Maya (January 21, 2023). "My work with @whalesorg has been some of my proudest yet and this partnership means a lot to me. Can't wait for you guys to join us in protecting our seas this year.🐋🐬". Twitter.
  36. ^ "Introducing WDC Ambassador Maya Higa". Whale and Dolphin Conservation. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "Patrons and Ambassadors". Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024.
  38. ^ @mayahiga (April 4, 2023). "I HAVE A NEW SHOW!!!! I teamed up with @Twitch Streamer Originals as the host for Nerve Center presented by @Ally. Tune into the first episode TOMORROW at 11am CT! #ad" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ^ @twitch (April 12, 2023). "Our host for Nerve Center is none other than @mayahiga! What animals will she bring out for our guest @TheRealDareon today?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ^ @twitch (April 12, 2023). "Our host for Nerve Center is none other than @maya_higa higa! What animals will she bring out for our guest today?". Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Instagram.
  41. ^ "QTCinderella, Maya Higa's Gala For Good raises "around $250,000" for rainforest conservation". Tubefilter. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  42. ^ Diaz, Ana (November 8, 2023). "For QTCinderella, events are a way to ease the toxicity of the internet". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  43. ^ Rowland, Mark (May 6, 2024). "Top 10 Female Streamers for April 2024". Stream Hatchet. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  44. ^ Rowland, Mark (June 7, 2024). "Top 10 Female Streamers for May 2024". Stream Hatchet. Archived from the original on June 8, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  45. ^ Wine About It (November 15, 2021). "So We Started a Podcast... | Wine About It". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  46. ^ Polhamus, Blaine (October 7, 2022). "QTCinderella hints at stopping her Wine About It podcast in Twitch convo with xQc". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  47. ^ Wine About It (September 29, 2022). "Hey all. Wine about it is on a break. We will update you when we have an update. Thanks for your support". YouTube. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  48. ^ Wine About It (March 11, 2023). "Listen..." YouTube. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  49. ^ Wine About It. "Wine About It | A drunk podcast with QTCinderella and Maya Higa". Patreon. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  50. ^ Higa, Maya (May 11, 2020). "I moved to texas". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  51. ^ Maya (December 10, 2022). "a tour of my tiny house". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  52. ^ Tiny House Giant Journey (April 12, 2024). "Her cute Tiny House parked on her amazing animal sanctuary". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  53. ^ Adams, Robert (November 8, 2019). "Twitch sneeze compilation shows the weird side of streaming". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  54. ^ Deschamps, Marc (September 15, 2021). "Mizkif Announces Twitch Break". ComicBook Gaming. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. In a Twitlonger post, Mizkif and Maya Higa revealed that they have broken up, and will both be taking a break from streaming, in order to "process and to take care of ourselves."
  55. ^ Maya Daily (January 5, 2023). "Maya talks about meeting her boyfriend's parents". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  56. ^ Maya (April 14, 2023). "meet my pets". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  57. ^ HIVEMIND S2E9 w/ Ludwig & MoistCr1TiKaL | ft. xQcOW, Mizkif, Maya, & HAchubby. August 12, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via Twitch.
  58. ^ OTK (April 26, 2021). THAT WASN'T EVEN FUNNY | OTK CLIPPED Ep. 9 ft. Jschlatt, Maya, Malena and Sodapoppin. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  59. ^ OTK (February 2, 2021). OH MY GOSH! - Maya and Esfand | OTK CLIPPED Ep. 1 ft. Maya. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  60. ^ OTK (March 30, 2021). ASMONGOLD SAID YES?! | OTK CLIPPED Ep. 6. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  61. ^ Esfand (November 7, 2021). Friendships Were Ruined.. | Loot Goblins! Ep. 3. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  62. ^ Daily Dose of Nmplol (October 30, 2021). Maya DUNKED!! OTK Gameday w/ Justaminx Maya , Mizkif Sodapoppin Esfand Cyr PK Cyphe, Kristofer Yee. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  63. ^ Daily Dose of Nmplol (October 22, 2021). Mizkif got chosen last! kinda (OTK Gameday w/ Mizkif Emiru Maya Cyr Alinity Erobb Esfand Jelly Jay). Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  64. ^ AustinShow (February 26, 2022). "NAME YOUR PRICE FT. SODAPOPPIN, NMPLOL & MAYA HIGA". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  65. ^ OTK VODs (June 29, 2022). OTK ISLAND OF RICHES: EP1 ft. Myth, Nmplol, Maya, Andy Milonakis [VOD+CHAT]. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  66. ^ "I". YouTube. May 12, 2019. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  67. ^ "AtotheT – I Lyrics". Genius. May 11, 2019. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  68. ^ "I". Spotify. May 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  69. ^ "Mitch Jones – Shoot for the Stars ft. Maya Higa". YouTube. December 3, 2021. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  70. ^ "Mitch Jones – Shoot for the Stars ft. Maya Higa Lyrics". Genius. December 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  71. ^ "Mitch Jones – Shoot for the Stars ft. Maya Higa". Spotify. December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
[edit]
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