Two Southern California women named Rhodes Scholars

Two Southern California natives were named as Rhodes Scholars on Saturday and will join 30 other students in receiving full scholarships to the University of Oxford.

Stephanie Bryson of San Diego graduated as valedictorian from Cal State Long Beach in May. Bryson, who majored in international studies, is the university's first Rhodes Scholar. Currently a graduate student at Georgetown University, she spent a year interning at the U.S. mission to the European Union in Brussels. She will study politics at Oxford.

Stephanie Lin of Irvine is a senior at MIT, majoring in biology and minoring in applied international studies. She is active with the MIT Global Poverty Initiatives, where she has directed projects in Mexico, and helped found Health Leads Boston. She intends to study medical anthropology and global health science at Oxford.

In announcing the winners, Elliot Gerson, American secretary of the Rhodes Trust, called the scholarships "the oldest and best known award for international study, and arguably the most famous academic award available to American college graduates."

One of the most well-known past recipients was President Bill Clinton.

ALSO:

UC president says he's "appalled" by UC Davis pepper spray incident

Flood advisory in Los Angeles County

Woman wounded in police shooting at Baldwin Village apartment

-- Raja Abdulrahim