How Ally Mason Is Breaking Down Barriers for Women in STEM

The Swim Search finalist says ‘smart is beautiful’ and hopes to lead by example.

Ally Mason / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Swim Search finalist Ally Mason has never fit into just one box—and that’s the way she prefers it. The 25-year-old Arizona native grew up with a passion for math and science, and was the only girl enrolled in her high school’s calculus camp. At the University of Southern California, Mason was a pre-med major who studied human biology and minored in business.

Mason, who strutted the SI Swimsuit Runway during Swim Week in May, is no stranger to the catwalk, either. She has walked in Milan and New York Fashion Weeks and has appeared within the pages of publications like Vogue Portugal and Maxim.

Ally Mason / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

“ I was a pre-med student and I studied mostly biology and calculus, but at the same time, I also always modeled,” Mason tells SI Swimsuit. “And so I never really fit into any ideas or expectations that were placed on me in either field, whether it was how to look, how to act, dress, like none of it. So I had a hard time finding my place in either of my passions, and it did tend to create a lot of internal struggles and turmoil in me where I had many, many instances where I wanted to give up.”

Whether Mason was being bullied by boys in her high school calculus class who tore up her work or facing sexist remarks from those who thought she was lost when she showed up to her chemistry labs at USC, none of it deterred her from pursuing her passions. In fact, those instances lit a fire within Mason to succeed. She credits her incredible support system with keeping her motivated, and says the diversity of women within the SI Swimsuit Issue inspired her to push through those obstacles from a young age.

“ I remember looking through the pages [of the SI Swimsuit Issue] and just seeing the women [who] were all so strong and so uniquely, beautifully different,” Mason reflects. “But the one constant theme I found about them is that they all had faced their own barrier, whether it was physical, mental, societal [or] cultural. Everybody has their barriers, especially women. What I loved about the women in the magazine was that all these women are people that overcame those [barriers] and found their truest, most authentic selves and it shines through.”

Ally Mason / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

By continuing to pursue her various passions—which also includes plenty of volunteer work through non-profits like the Georgie Badiel Foundation and Chances for Children—instead of succumbing to the pressure to choose just one path, Mason hopes to inspire young women to do the same. Whether they’re interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and modeling like she is, or any other number of career path combinations, Mason is living proof that women really can do it all.

“ I hope to show that smart is beautiful, smart is sexy, and don’t let anybody tell you different or make you feel like you need to fit into any sort of mold to be taken seriously,” Mason says. “I feel like that’s such an issue that still happens today, even though, you know, it’s 2025, everybody’s working really hard to be more inclusive and accepting, but there’s these biases, there’s these stereotypes that are still so present. I hope to lead by example.”

Next. Voting Is Now Open for the 2025 SI Swim Search Winner. Voting Is Now Open for the 2025 SI Swim Search Winner. dark