Vinnie Feucht wants to change the world.

Feucht, a senior in English, is a finalist for the 2011 Innovation Institute Scholarship, which would provide him the opportunity to work in Manyeleti, South Africa, and Kayafungo, Kenya, this summer. The Innovation Institute is a part of the nonprofit organization ThinkImpact, which seeks to inform American students in social entrepreneurship through immersion programs.

Selected students work in rural African communities and help the African people discover their respective assets and resources, thereby empowering them to self-generate entrepreneurial ideas that help to alleviate rampant poverty, according to Feucht.

Feucht said while his career plans are mostly uncertain, he is currently considering pursuing career combining nonprofit work and his favorite hobby – cooking.

“I’m considering opening a restaurant that serves as a halfway house for the homeless, providing them work and a skill while helping them get through school,” Feucht said.

Although he said he has no idea how he would accomplish such a task, he believes the Innovation Institute is a great place to start because it would allow him to learn how to help others and work to change the world.

“[The Innovation Institute] would be the first time I’ve experienced the cliché idea of changing the world,” Feucht said. “This nonprofit makes real differences by fostering a sustainable approach to philanthropy.”

Feucht said the program would allow him to experience a new culture and lend a helping hand in the lives of others, and he hopes this program will foster his interest in service, which is in the “forefront” of his career plans.

According to Feucht, ThinkImpact helps spur social innovation by bridging the gap between potential and actual financial success by focusing on the assets that rural communities already posses.

Feucht heard about the program from a fellow student who participated in the program last year, Tyler Maloney, a sophomore in biological engineering.

The first part of the scholarship process was an application that asked background questions, according to Feucht. There was then an interview via Skype that the committee used to select the finalists.

“There was an interview question that asked what I would do with a cardboard box, some duct tape, and a couple of tennis balls,” Feucht said. “I said I’d make a mini soccer field and entertain kids.”

Hailing from rural southeastern Virginia, Feucht has had a special love for the University from a young age.

“My sister came here and she ingrained in me at an early age a certain love for the Wolfpack,” Feucht said. “I’ve been playing the red-and-white song on my trumpet since fifth grade.”

Over his college career, Feucht has studied abroad in Guatemala and Ecuador. He has also been in the marching band, pep band and choral ensemble, and was the Mr. Wuf mascot for a year.

“Everyone loves you [while you’re the mascot], but then you change clothes and no one looks at you anymore,” Feucht said.

Students can vote by visiting the ThinkImpact website – www.thinkimpact.org and clicking his “muddy face.” Voting closes at 5 p.m. on Jan. 31.

When asked why students should vote for him, Feucht had a few reasons.

“I believe they should vote for me because I believe in myself,” Feucht said. “I have faith that if I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to South Africa I can make real connections with the people there.”

Feucht has always been interested in learning about other cultures, which he says is another reason people should vote for him.

“The exchange of ideas, of personality and the human concept of what it is to be alive is an incredible experience,”Feucht said. “I love being thrown into new cultures, new places and new challenges.”

Staying true to his joking demeanor, Feucht offered one final reason that he should be able to participate in the program.

“Foreign women have such mysterious charm,” Feucht said with a smile.