Alumni Highlight - Malikah Stafford

Malikah Marie Stafford is a writer, actress, singer, playwright,  and spoken word poet from Atlantic City, NJ. After receiving her B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Africana Studies from Stockton University, she matriculated to New York University and acquired her M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing. Stafford’s original television pilot, Mixed Up, is available on Amazon Prime Video. Her original play, Domino, was a finalist for the 2024 Goldberg Playwriting Prize and a second rounder in the 2024 Austin Film Festival. In addition to this, her pitch for her screenplay, Miss Black & Beautiful, was a semifinalist in Screencraft’s 2024 Virtual Pitch competition. Stafford is also the 2025 recipient of the Clifford Odet Ensemble Play commission, sponsored by the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

"Stockton University shaped me to become the creative professional I am today. Through Stockton’s Theatre program, I was able to assistant direct two shows under the direction and mentorship of Professor David Reiser in addition to having my original pilot produced through Stockton’s Performing Arts Center—an opportunity that guided me to my path of wanting to tell stories for a living. 

In Stockton’s Africana Studies Program, I was able to refine my artistic voice and become more socially informed as a writer. The unforgettable classes I took with Dr. Allison, Dr. Toyo Aboderin, and the other faculty in the Africana Studies gave me the navigational and resistant capital to become a successful Black creative on my own terms. 

Professor Cynthia King’s poetry classes helped me be more confident as a poet and aided in shaping my voice as a playwright. Professor Ian August’s playwriting class revealed a playwriting muscle within me that I didn’t even know was there. With the help and encouragement of Professor Newman, I was able to create a feature-length documentary that is still a passion project of mine to this day. 

Overall, Stockton’s faculty and programming supported me every step of my journey. I would not be where I am—if I weren’t an Osprey first!"