Swimsuit

5 Gorgeous Photos of Astrophysicist and Author Sarafina El-Badry Nance in the Dominican Republic

The Swim Search finalist was photographed by Yu Tsai in 2022

Ananya Panchal

Sarafina Nance was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominican Republic.

Sarafina Nance was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominican Republic.

Swim Search finalist Sarafina El-Badry Nance is an astrophysicist, analog astronaut and an author. The Egyptian-American model was photographed by Yu Tsai in the Dominican Republic last year. She has made a name for herself in a male-dominated industry and uses her social media platform to encourage women to pursue their dreams, no matter how big or unfeasible they may seem, and is a ferocious advocate for women’s health.

“Throughout my life, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I don’t need to fit into a box,” she said about applying for the open casting call. “Women can be anything we want to be: astrophysicist, advocate, analog astronaut, model. I would be so honored to represent my science and breast cancer communities, and equally thrilled for the platform to continue to push for change.”

When the Texas native was 23, her father was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and she found out he carried the BRCA gene mutation, which put her at an increased risk of breast cancer.

Nance had a biopsy and MRI screening two years later that revealed a spot requiring further attention but turned out to be benign.

“I realized that was not the way that I wanted to think about this diagnosis and approach my life and I really wanted to be proactive rather than reactive,” she told SI Swimsuit about her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. “It was really a decision for me to take my health into my own hands and make decisions to empower me to live with this high risk in a way that felt manageable.”

Below are five of our favorite photos from her SI Swimsuit shoot in the Dominican Republic.

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Ananya Panchal

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a NYC-based Lifestyle & Trending News writer at SI Swimsuit. Before joining the Swim team, the Boston University Alum worked for culture & entertainment beats at Bustle, The San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When Ananya is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, she can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast.