Alumni Highlight: Jeanine Mason '09

6/15/2026

From the RE Stage to Hollywood

For the Ransom Everglades community, the name Jeanine Mason ’09 evokes a distinct timeline of proud moments. You might know her as the dancer who captivated the nation and won Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance, right after graduating high school. You might know her from her standout television roles, including Dr. Sam Bello on Grey’s Anatomy or Liz Ortecho on Roswell, New Mexico. More recently, you might hear her voicing the lead in the animated series Wondla, or see her in the most recent season of Chicago Fire and Amazon Prime’s Cross.

But long before she was navigating high-stakes Hollywood sets, Jeanine was a teenager in Miami, balancing AP Chemistry with rehearsals.

Jeanine looks back at her time on RE campus not just as a pitstop, but as the foundational soil where her artistry, her morals and her drive were planted.

The Spark on the RE Stage

Entering Ransom Everglades, Jeanine knew the school’s reputation for rigorous college preparation. What she didn't expect was to find a faculty that would treat her with the same professional gravity.

"I remember thinking, these teachers are real professionals and they’ve cut their teeth with my future peers," Jeanine recalls about her performing arts teachers.

That artistic rigor came alive through unforgettable faculty members who left a lasting impression. She vividly remembers Corey Feinsilver's vibrancy. "She taught us what chutzpah means," Jeanine laughs. "I felt immersed in creative language. I remember thinking, this is the kind of person I want to be around for the rest of my life."

“My first play at the middle school was Grease and I was Cha Cha, where I remember wearing this black and silver dress Ms. Mendoza picked out for me. I then performed in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, under the direction of Kate Denson, and I played a psychologist.”

In 9th grade, she was cast in Chicago in the fall. Then in the spring, she was cast alongside Christian Bachrach '09 as the only two freshmen in the upper school production of Cheaper by the Dozen, a tight-knit experience that made her whisper to herself, “Maybe I can do this?” Later, performing in Picasso at the Lapin Agile under the direction of Gina Montet, Jeanine experienced a pivotal breakthrough. The production offered her a taste of physical comedy, beautifully bridging the gap between her identity as a dancer and her aspirations as an actress.

"Getting a laugh during the teaser of Picasso, and getting that group to have a unified reaction is so powerful," she says. "So many things were planted during my time at RE and are still growing. I learned what value my instrument has."

A Faculty That Cleared the Path

For current and former faculty reading this, Jeanine’s story is a testament to the profound power of educator mentorship. When Jeanine was juggling a soaring dance career with high school and hit a roadblock, she found champions in the RE faculty.

Jeanine remembers Mr. Sean Bryan, RE Performing Arts faculty member at the time, who took her dreams seriously at a pivotal age. "He legitimized my aspirations," Jeanine says. "It was so important to feel that encouragement during that time in my life.”

Jeanine also remembers Dr. Cramp, who worked out an agreement with her which, unbeknownst to him at the time, was crucial in setting up the future success of students wishing to pursue the performing arts more seriously while at RE. "He knew I wasn’t slacking off. He helped the school see how important my artistry was and he was invaluable to my time at RE." In fact, it was Dr. Cramp and Mr. Bryan who insisted Jeanine lead a school assembly to show the student body that pursuing the arts seriously was a path worthy of immense pride, after she had a final callback for West Side Story on Broadway during her senior year.

Living the RE Mission in Hollywood

After winning So You Think You Can Dance, doors flew open in Los Angeles. Yet, true to her RE roots, Jeanine chose to immediately supplement her momentum with higher education, graduating cum laude from UCLA in 2014 with a degree in World Arts and Cultures. It allowed her to view her creativity through an academic lens while she simultaneously studied acting at conservatories across the city.

Today, as a prominent Latina actress and an advocate for Latinx representation in entertainment, Jeanine navigates a notoriously fierce industry by leaning heavily on the ethos of Paul C. Ransom’s historic letter, putting into this world more than we take from it.

Where others see cutthroat competition, Jeanine sees abundance, a lesson she credits to both RE and her father. "I remember my dad saying to me before a competition: 'You want your competitor to have their best performance today. Wishing bad things on others is cheap," Jeanine adds, “Competition is important, but hard work, tuning your instrument and being prepared to show up on the work day is what's important. Less about the competition.” Furthermore, "Perfection doesn't exist. There is tremendous value in watching two ballerinas and seeing the difference and beauty in their unique storytelling."

That grounded perspective influences how she picks her roles today. For Jeanine, acting is inherently a form of activism, and she is driven strictly by purpose and excellence. She is entirely unafraid to say "no" to projects that do not align with her values or do right by her community.

"On my hardest days, I think back to wanting to do right by us, by my community," she says. "When I think about women and Latinas, especially the generations before who worked their butts off for me to be here, I think to myself, I owe it to the next generation.”

Advice to the Next Generation: "Life is Very Long"

For current RE students who feel overwhelming pressure to choose a single "lane"—to be just the athlete, just the scientist, or just the artist—Jeanine offers a reassuring perspective.

"I would actually say life is very long. I remember feeling like I was already behind when I was in high school! But looking back on it, you do not have to write off any one path. A year in Paris, a year in the military, being a bartender, it all makes the tapestry of life richer. I think about being a 50-year-old at a party with the most diverse stories to tell."

To the graduating classes following in her footsteps, her hope is that they recognize the sheer strength of the foundation they are standing on.

“What's exciting to me is thinking back to how valuable that time was at RE in building the artist I am right now. My life has been spent fine-tuning my craft, but when I think about it, it should not be overstated how important this time in my life was. That's not meant to put pressure on it, but I would tell current students that now is the time to throw paint on the wall and try new things. So many seeds were planted during my time at RE and are still growing. Understanding how crucial these moments are is important.“

"Know how equipped you are, and know that you have gotten to graduation and you can be such a force for good in this world," Jeanine says. "I hope you know how lucky we would be for you to just go for it. You are set up to make a meaningful impact."

From the RE stage to Hollywood and beyond, she continues to inspire the next generation of Raiders to pursue their passions with confidence. We are incredibly proud to call Jeanine one of our own and look forward to celebrating all that she accomplishes in the years ahead.

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RE founder Paul Ransom, circa 1903

Alumni Highlight: Jeanine Mason '09

From the RE Stage to Hollywood

The Spark on the RE Stage

A Faculty That Cleared the Path

Living the RE Mission in Hollywood

Advice to the Next Generation: "Life is Very Long"

Middle School

Upper School

Accreditations and Memberships