Mariah Darling was born in Saint John in 1993 or 1994[2] and grew up in the west side of the city.
[4] They graduated from the University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus in 2018, after which they began medical research.
In 2022, Darling became the education coordinator for Chroma NB, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
They ran for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2024 provincial election, as the Green Party candidate in the riding of Saint John Harbour, where they placed third; Hickey was elected with the Liberals, which saw his Ward 3 seat in the Saint John Common Council become vacant.
In December 2024, municipal byelections were held throughout the province, with Hickey's former Ward 3 seat being one of the contested positions.