SMU senior Lindsey Wendler was accepted into the Royal College of Art in London. The school is the world’s only postgraduate institution solely dedicated to art and design.

Wendler will earn her postgraduate degree in gold and silver smithing, metal work and jewelry design (GSM&J). This year only 20 people from around the world were accepted into the program, which prepares students for both the business and design aspects of jewelry making.

The admission process included submitting a portfolio, an eight-page project proposal and final interview with a six -person selection panel.

“I was the most untraditional candidate there, seeing as I hadn’t majored in art as an undergraduate student, and I was also one of the only Americans to reach the interview stage,” Wendler said.

Wendler majored in biology and minored in corporate communications and public affairs. But she started her own jewelry line, LindseyMarie, during her sophomore year at SMU. Wendler launched the company with $300 and sold her pieces at trade fairs and sorority houses. Today, LindseyMarie is sold at 16 boutiques in five different states. Wendler has recently begun working with brides to design custom jewelry for their wedding parties.

In the past year, Wendler incorporated her line, studied design under fashion designer David Koppo in London, and was one of 10 winners of the Dallas Fashion Incubator Contest.

“I just can’t believe this is all happening so fast,” Wendler said. “I am just so happy that I have been given this opportunity to continue doing what I love.”

To view LindseyMarie collections or for more information, visit LindseyMarie.com.