Luigi Macovei is originally from the rural village of Neudorf in the western part of Romania, close to the Hungarian border. He grew up working on his family farm, assisting with the care of their many farm animals and tending to the family's beehives. As a high school student, he won regional awards for his achievements in practical skills in 2003 and 2004 and for his performance in biology in 2005. He graduated from high school in 2005 with the highest rank in his class of nineteen students. Luigi's great love of animals is manifested by his desire to become a veterinarian. He is a student at Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara, Romania where he is enrolled in a competitive six-year degree program in Veterinary Medicine. In his career, he intends to become an advocate for the protection of animals. In his free time, he participates in animal rescue efforts at his university. He also is interested in soccer and apiculture (the science of beekeeping).

Luigi's scholarship is sponsored by Mr. Fergal Kearns of Atlanta, Georgia.