BRUNSWICK

Margaret Hayden of Brunswick, a 21- year-old woman who hopes to become both an anthropologist and a physician, was one of 32 American college students named Sunday as prestigious Rhodes Scholars.

Hayden is a senior at Stanford University in California, where she majors in human biology. She begins her two-year program at Oxford University in England next October, studying medical anthropology.

“I’m interested in issues of mental illness and homelessness and how you address them from both the perspective of a doctor and from the large social factors that play into these situations,” she said Sunday from Brunswick, where she’s spending the holidays.

Hayden grew up in Brunswick and graduated from Brunswick High School in 2009.

At Stanford, she has published two papers and wrote her honors thesis on the ethical implications of biological conceptions of mental illness and personhood. She also participates on the varsity squash and sailing teams.

Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes and have a value of about $50,000 per year.

Hayden was one of 838 applicants from 302 colleges and universities.

The American students will join an international group of scholars selected from 14 other jurisdictions around the world. About 80 scholars are selected each year.

¦ HAYDEN IS A senior at Stanford University in California, where she majors in human biology. She begins her two-year program at Oxford University in England next October, studying medical anthropology.