Maiava attended Henry Perrine Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawaii on the island of Maui.

Before his senior season, Maiava nearly transferred to Kahuku High School on the island of Oahu, where his uncle was an assistant coach, to get more attention at a program known for its NFL alumni; however, his strong performance in football camps on the mainland influenced him to remain at Baldwin.

[3] A number of major programs offered him scholarships, including UCLA, Washington, Oregon, Utah, BYU, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arizona and UTEP; however, he was not strongly recruited by the University of Hawaii, then under June Jones.

During his junior, 2007 season, he was a key reserve, making 44 tackles, including 4½ for losses, two sacks, two pass deflections and a forced fumble while appearing in all 13 games and starting once, against Arizona State.

[11] Maiava was one of twelve USC players, including the four senior linebackers Brian Cushing, Maiava, Clay Matthews III, and Rey Maualuga, who attended the by-invitation-only 2009 NFL Scouting Combine (top rated NCAA Division 1 teams might send only one to three senior players to the Combine).

[19] Maiava's father, Scott Mahoney, attended and played football for Kamehameha Schools and the University of Colorado as an offensive lineman.

[1] His mother, Kathryn, works for an airline, which allowed the family the ability to take free trips to the mainland during Maiava's high school recruiting period.