Born in Seattle, Washington, Malgarini and her family traveled across the southern United States while she was growing up. She has been acting since she was six years old, and after college, she settled in Los Angeles, California, in order to advance her acting career. In addition to her appearance on Enterprise, she has been seen on the CBS series CSI: NY (starring Robert Joy) and Two and a Half Men. She also had supporting roles in a pair of horror films: Dead in the Water and Dark Reel. The latter project starred fellow Star Trek alumni Tony Todd and Tracey Walter.