Malia earned her Ph.D. in Classical Studies at the University of Michigan and her B.A. in Classics at the University of Washington. She worked at UM’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching as a Graduate Student Instructional Consultant. Her teaching experience includes online and in-person classes, including Latin language courses and large Classics lecture courses, including Greek Mythology and the Ancient Roman World. 

As a Kanaka Maoli or Native Hawaiian, Malia is committed to the use of indigenizing and decolonizing methodologies in antiracist pedagogy and critical reflection as a cornerstone of equity-focused teaching. She has designed and led several workshops on these topics. At UM, Malia led DEI efforts in her department and across the university, including leading a learning community on equity-focused pedagogy in the humanities and working on a grant to support faculty to develop and adapt Race and Ethnicity Courses to new guidelines. She has also been active in DEI work through the POD Network, which is a professional organization of educational developers, where she is a co-convener of the 2SLGBTQ+ Affinity Group and Donald H. Wulff  Diversity Fellow.