Summer is just around the corner, and that is keeping Dylan Patterson, an SMU undergraduate student and senior, busy as she prepares to launch her swimwear company, Born From A Wave, later this Spring.

Born From A Wave is an upcoming swimwear and lifestyle brand that is targeted for all women. Dylan said, “I really wanted to focus on showcasing real women in swimwear, because nowadays girls and women see these Instagram models and they think that’s what their bodies should look like, when women don’t always look like that.” Dylan also designs the swimwear, which is made from recycled material.

Inspired by her love for swimwear from her upbringing in Florida, Dylan said she has been dedicated and passionate towards starting this company. “I’ve been trying to start [Born From A Wave] since my freshman year of college, but really, it’s taken me the past year and half to get it started,” she said.

Dylan said one of the benefits in starting a business during college are the resources that SMU offers, like the professors that have given her advice. But she also expressed that starting a business during college can also be difficult, especially when having to focus on school work at the same time. “There have been nights where all of my friends have been going out, but I’ve had to stay in because I had to work on my quick books or prep for a meeting,” Dylan said.

She advises students who are wanting to start their own business to have dedication, passion and perseverance. “I think there are highs and lows of having a business or starting a business, but if you’re super passionate about it, then it makes it all worth it.”

After graduation, Dylan plans on working full-time on her business. “I’ve had to think seriously on what I wanted to do when I graduated, which is why I decided that there is no better time than now to start my business.”

For more information on Born From A Wave, follow @bornfromawave on Instagram or subscribe to its website at bornfromawave.com.