Meet Maia

My name is Maia, and I am a 16 year old born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and member of the 2023 Flight Crew. I am interested in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture.

My free time is spent volunteering and interning at the Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary, Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and the Northern Stars 4-H club. During this time, I may medicate ducks and learn about the anti-inflammatory benefits of Carprofen, feed birds with a winter diet, observe the holisticism in an ecosystem, or problem solve with co-workers.

It was after midwifing goats in middle school and working on a farm that my interest in expanding my bubble past Homo sapiens was born, and as I matured into high school, STEM in general became more important. I began wanting to empower minorities in STEM and shift our collective viewpoints to acknowledge the science, sophistication and importance of agriculture as a pillar of our society.

In the future, I want to major in biology with a pre-vet or agricultural track in college in hopes of promoting wide-spread sustainable agriculture and pursuing a career in veterinary medicine for domestic and wild animals.