Swimsuit

5 Incredible Pastel Swimsuit Pics of Sarafina El-Badry Nance in the Dominican Republic

The 2022 Swim Search finalist is also an analog astronaut, astrophysicist and published author.

Cara O’Bleness

Sarafina El-Badry Nance

Sarafina El-Badry Nance was photographed by Yu Tsai in the Dominican Republic. 

As a finalist in the 2022 Swim Search, Sarafina El-Badry Nance traveled to the Dominican Republic alongside photographer Yu Tsai and a dozen other open casting call finalists. And while Mady Dewey was ultimately declared the winner, Nance posed for some truly stunning images while in the Caribbean. 

An analog astronaut, astrophysicist and breast cancer previvor, Nance decided to try out for the Swim Search in the hopes of helping other women realize their potential.

“One of my friends, who has been super supportive and wonderful throughout my mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgeries, suggested that I try out. I was nervous, but really wanted to share my story as both a woman in science and a breast cancer previvor,” Nance told us at the time. “I wanted to show that women can pursue our dreams, defy stereotypes and be anything we want to be, no matter what!”

Since participating in the open casting call, Nance has become a published author and has continued her work as a women’s health advocate while encouraging young girls to pursue careers in STEM. She is very open about the preventative double mastectomy she underwent at the age of 26 in order to reduced her risk of breast cancer.

“I wanted to share my journey so that I could empower others to make self-assured decisions about their health, and also to provide information to others who may not have heard of genetic testing or heard of genetic mutations,” Nance stated. “From the moment that I started sharing it, I had this overwhelming response of people who were too scared to go to a doctor or go to a genetic counselor, but my story empowered them to make that decision or empowered them to have difficult conversations with their family about their family health history.”

Below are a few of our favorite photos of Nance in the Dominican Republic.

Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.