A crossword-puzzle whiz, an activist for human rights in Latin America, a budding neuropsychologist, and an aspiring scholar of contemporary China comprise the four Harvard seniors rewarded Marshall Scholarships for the two academic years following graduation. Kyle A. Mahowald ’09, John M. Sheffield ’09, Emma Y. Wu ’09, and Andrew C. Miller ’09 all received the prestigious scholarship, which will fund two years of study for a graduate level degree at any university in the United Kingdom.

Harvard’s triumph in racking four scholarships marks a significant surge from years past. No more than two Harvard students have won over the past five years.

Nationally, up to 40 recent American undergraduates are granted the scholarship every year. All applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.7.

Mahowald, an English concentrator, plans to study linguistics at Oxford University. “I’m interested in words and language,” said the Winthrop House resident, who was the youngest cruciverbalist to ever publish a puzzle in the Sunday New York Times.

Sheffield, a social studies concentrator, said that he was motivated to apply for what he called “a really great scholarship” because it was “a way to get to Oxford to study applied statistics.”

Sheffield additionally plans to study political science in his second year abroad and come back to the U.S. for a Ph.D. in that field.

Sheffield found out he had received the scholarship only a day after his interview in Atlanta.

“My flight was delayed in Baltimore so I showed up at Harvard, sleep deprived and angry that I had to spend time in Baltimore,” Sheffield said. “It felt like the beginning of a horror movie—trapped in a hotel in Baltimore. But then I came back and I walked up to my dorm room and I found out.”

Wu, a linguistics and mind, brain, and behavior concentrator, who plans to study experimental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology at University College in London, said he relishes the “opportunity to dip my toes in research and study abroad.”

The Houston native has already conducted research in action word processing in Alzheimer patients, neurological foundations of dyslexia, artificial grammar models, and drug addiction and depression. She plans to use her time at University College London as an introduction to research in various fields of psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Miller, a social studies concentrator, plans to spend one year at the London School of Economics and one at Oxford University.

“I’m really interested in politics of the media and the London School of Economics has one of the best politics of the media faculty. Also I want to study Chinese politics and Oxford has an extraordinarily rich China faculty,” Miller said.

Miller, who is an inactive Crimson editorial writer, also reflected on the merits of the application process which he called “long, but worth it.”

“You have to think about where you see your future going and how spending time in England will contribute to that future,” Miller said. “Even if I hadn’t won the scholarship, the application process was really helpful.”

The four winners marks an upsurge in scholarships over the past few years

A fifth Harvard student won a Marhsall Scholarship but turned it down, instead opting to accept a Rhodes Scholarship.

The Marshall Scholarship was founded in 1953 and was named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who was the father of the Marshall plan that granted aid to post-war Europe.