Is Maya Oakley a veterinarian?
Introduction
Being involved in TV today means allowing the public to peer into your personal life.
For many people, being on TV will enable them to help further showcase their skills to the world and raise awareness of what they do for a living.
That extra exposure and public interest in their lives is a worthwhile payoff for some.
One person who would likely agree is Dr. Michelle Oakley.
As the star of Nat Geo Wild’s Yukon-based veterinary show, Oakley and her family have become well-known in the USA and beyond. Thanks to her work as a vet, she has gained a lot of fans for her caring work.
As the show continued, we were introduced to Michelle’s family: husband Shane and daughters Maya and Sierra.
While one of her daughters, Sierra, is en route to becoming a veterinarian herself, less is known about the other daughter, Maya.
Is Maya Oakley a veterinarian?
Or does she have a different career lined up for herself down the line?
Let’s take a look at what we know about Maya Oakley and her choice of career based on the details available.
Short Biography
Michelle Oakley and Maya Oakley attend the 2022 ABC Disney Upfront at Basketball City – Pier 36 – South Street – @Getty
Born on the 2nd December 1998, Maya Oakley is a Yukon-born Canadian who grew up where her mother did most of her work.
Growing up with a mother who is so successful and famous could be tough for any kid; there is always that pressure to follow in their footsteps and do the same things they do.
However, as we all know, kids often have their own dreams and ambitions in life. They want to be their own person instead of living in the shadow of their parents.
The daughter of Shane and Michelle Oakley, Maya Oakley has become well-known for her appearances on the TV show that her mother is the face of.
While she does not often appear on the show, she has become a more regular member of the cast at certain times.
Most of the time, though, the show focuses on the actual animals, so we see less and less of Maya Oakley, or her sister and father.
Having appeared on the Dr Oakley Yukon Vet show as a teenager, she has appeared from time to time as she has grown older.
Maya is the middle of three children, with Sierra born in 1996.
Growing up in the Haines Junction part of the Yukon Territory, it was always assumed that Maya would follow in her mother’s footsteps and move into the world of veterinary care. Is that the case?
Maya Oakley, Dr. Michelle Oakley, and Sierra Oakley of National Geographic’s ‘Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet’ poses for a portrait during the 2018 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour – @Getty
What Does Maya Oakley Study? Is Maya Oakley A Veterinarian?
Maya joined the University of Western Ontario, where she began to study criminal justice. Reports suggest that she successfully graduated from the course in 2020, meaning she is now well on her way to a criminal justice career. That likely means, then, that Maya Oakley will not be involved in the veterinary business for long.
However, Maya Oakley does appear from time to time in the show as a veterinary assistant to her mother.
Though rare and fleeting appearances, she has been a little involved in the show.
Maya chose a different career path, unlike her sister Sierra, who intends to work alongside her mother for the long term.
She has appeared from time to time on the show, but in the past has admitted that she did not like appearing on the show as it made her somewhat nervous.
She did not soak up the camera limelight and found it hard to participate in the show. However, as time passed, she enjoyed the experience more and thus became better at dealing with the animals while helping her mother.
Despite not moving into full-time study of veterinary care like her sister and mother, Maya Oakley has a passion for animals.
What Does Maya Do?
Outside of being a successful student in criminal justice, Maya Oakley has a lot of things going on in her life.
One of her most prominent positions is that of an activist. For example, she has used her growing social media profile to help raise awareness for things that she cares about, including the Minnesota Freedom Fund project.
This project looks to end cash bail policies that are part of Minnesota law. Many oppressive and outdated laws see them, and people like Maya Oakley work to try to have them overcome one day.
She looked to raise awareness about how a cash bail policy can be damaging to those who live in poverty and also that such policies tend to be discriminatory towards those of lesser financial means.
However, she is not a vet. She is not training to be a vet, so any assistance that she can give as part of her mother’s show is quite limited.
Still, her natural affinity for helping people – and animals – means that Maya has been involved in the show when she can.
Thanks to her large profile on social media – where she has over 27,000 followers – Maya Oakley uses her platform to raise awareness for the things she cares about. She is also expected to move into the world of criminal justice full-time eventually.
Until then, though, I hope to see her appear occasionally on her mother’s popular TV show.
Takeaway
So, Maya Oakley is the daughter of the famous Yukon area veterinarian Michelle Oakley.
Michelle Oakley speaks onstage during the ‘Nat Geo Wild – The Women of Nat Geo WILD’ panel discussion at the National Geographic Channels portion of the 2014 Winter Television Critics Association tour – @Getty
Her father, Shane, is a firefighter and conservationist. She has two sisters: Sierra, who is moving into the family industry, and Willow Oakley, who not much is known about aside from a few rare cameos on the TV series with her mother.
Maya studied criminal justice and now looks set to move into that line of work as opposed to being a vet like her mother and (eventually) sister.
Though passionate about animals and a proud bulldog owner, she has no desire to move into the veterinarian world and thus is not likely to be on the show too much in the future – as an assistant, anyway.
Is Maya Oakley a vet? No, but she has temporarily helped as her mother’s assistant in previous show episodes. With her career ahead of her, though, that might end in the future.
READ THIS NEXT:
Is Dr Michelle Oakley from Yukon still married?
How Much Does Steve Harvey Make On Family Feud?
Why Did Burt Reynolds Create a Trust for His Son?
As the owner of FamousPeopleToday.com and managing editor, Bulgarea Candin Stefan leads the way in creating informative and insightful content on celebrity net worths. His professional, authoritative voice shines through every article, providing readers with valuable, unique information.