Maia is an entrepreneurial educationist mama of two who dreams of changing the world through a transformed education system. She is a full-time teacher with the School District of Greater Victoria, currently on a parenthood leave to spend more time with her young kids, but could not resist the opportunity to become involved with EPIC, as she has been admiring this school from afar for a few years!

As a child in the school system, Maia attended both public and private schools in Victoria, and spent time at an International School in Fiji, followed by a year of project-based learning living on a sailboat.

Her experience with educational theory and design is not limited to her own upbringing, however. She holds an MA in Environmental Education and Communication from Royal Roads University and a teaching degree in Outdoor Ecological Experiential Education. Her Masters’ research focused on how to intersect love and power in the creation of a youth empowerment program in rural South Africa. She received a SSHRC grant for this research and was honoured to be nominated by the Royal Roads School of Environment and Sustainability for a Governor General’s Gold Medal Award for Most Outstanding Thesis. Maia has received other accolades for her work including a Bateman Fellowship in Sustainability, a Royal Roads University Entrance Scholarship, a TD Environmental Sustainability Scholarship, the Canadian Federation of University Women Victoria Award in Honour of Elsie M Stapleford and the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society One World Scholarship, a Women of Distinction award, and others.

For a decade, Maia was the founder and Executive Director of FUN Society, an award-winning charity that existed in Victoria and Vancouver for 10 years with a vision to redefine education.

From teaching in a rural village in South Africa to public school classrooms in Ontario and BC, Maia has a collection of educational experiences that have contributed to her love of teaching and redefining education. She has led youth delegations to UN Climate conferences, taught all of grade 10 science in 2 weeks in a provincial park and organized and led a 5-day trek in South Africa where the trek acted as a classroom for social change education. She has worked with every age group of youth extensively and is inspired and energized by all of them. Other than being a huge education nerd, Maia also loves traveling, hiking, making music, making art, playing ultimate frisbee, dancing and being silly.