A University of California, Davis, senior who aspires to be a U.S. congresswoman has been awarded one of the most prestigious scholarships available to American university students.

Lindsay Crawford of Santa Cruz has won a Marshall Scholarship for two years of study at a British university of her choice and is the third UC Davis student to receive the scholarship.

Double majoring in political science and economics, she is this year the only UC student to receive the scholarship and among only five recipients studying at California institutions. A total of 40 recipients were selected from among 800 applicants.

"Ms. Crawford has made us very proud," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "She is gifted with the unusually rare combination of outstanding intellectual abilities, leadership skills and an earnest ambition for public service. She surely has brought great honor to the university," he added.

"I'm thrilled," Lindsay said of being named a Marshall Scholar. Study abroad, she said, was one thing missing from her educational background as she eyes elected office. After completing her undergraduate degree at Davis, Crawford plans to use the scholarship to pursue a master's degree in international relations at the University of Oxford.

The scholarships, each valued at about $32,000 a year, honor intellectually distinguished American students with leadership potential. Funded by the British government, the scholarships commemorate the ideals of the European Recovery Program, a post-World War II American economic aid program to European nations that was initiated by then Secretary of State George Marshall.

"Lindsay is so deserving of the award," said Director Ken Verosub of the Davis Honors Challenge, which identifies and advises applicants for national prestigious scholarships.

He and other professors who wrote letters of recommendation on behalf of Crawford praised her not only for her scholarship -- she has a 3.98 grade point average -- but also for other qualities. They noted her intellectual curiosity that led to "perceptive" and "probing" questions in class, her outstanding communication skills, her focused career goals and her "winning personality."

Crawford has already begun to build a record of political experience and public service. As a participant in the UC Davis Washington Center's study and internship program in Washington, D.C., in 2001, she was awarded a scholarship recognizing both her work as an intern with the Senate Finance Committee and the excellence of her academic work.

Crawford said she thrived on the excitement and intensity of being on the Hill during debate over the Tax Relief Act. "The entire experience spurred my commitment to a future as a government official and policy-maker."

Back on campus, the Marshall Scholar also served as a senator with the Associated Students of UC Davis, and she is a member of two societies devoted to academic achievement and community service.

Crawford, who is the daughter of biology professor Nigel Crawford of UC San Diego and Susan Walton, a planner with the city of San Jose, said she chose to study at UC Davis because it has a major in international relations, offers many opportunities for study abroad and the campus is friendly.

In 2001, Crawford was an applicant for a Harry Truman Scholarship, a $30,000 award for juniors interested in pursuing a career in public service. The Honors Challenge office helped Crawford sharpen her personal statement, and when she was selected for a finalist interview, arranged a mock interview with faculty members.

This fall, just two weeks before the deadline for the Marshall Scholarship, Crawford decided to apply for it. While she was at home recovering from having all her wisdom teeth removed, Crawford and an uncle reworked her Truman application. And before her finalist interview at the British Consulate in San Francisco, the Honors Challenge office arranged another mock interview.

UC Davis began to give greater priority to recruiting and guiding students through the application process for prestigious awards five years ago. Carrie Devine, coordinator of prestigious national scholarships and fellowships for the Honors Challenge, works one-on-one with about 100 students a year and more extensively with about a third who become campus nominees for 15 select scholarships. In 1999, three UC Davis students were awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, worth $7,500 each.

Two other UC Davis students were awarded Marshall Scholarships in 1966 and 1970.

After using her Marshall Scholarship, Crawford plans to earn a law degree in the United States and continue her preparation for elected office.

As a Democrat, Crawford said she wants to effect progressive change in economic policy through her own participation in government. "My passion for combining political science and economics lies in achieving social equality through equitable economic policy."

The campus will be watching for Congresswoman Crawford in the years to come. And as Verosub said, the Marshall Scholarship may help her get there. "It's a key to anything she wants to do," he said.