A scholarship remembered, an opportunity paid forward

Mallavarapu didn’t know anyone in Halifax, but a warm welcome from Dr. Jim Warner (BEng’56, PhD’70), then head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Nova Scotia Technical College (now Dalhousie University), helped him feel he had made the right decision.  

More than four decades later, Mallavarapu remembers his time in Halifax as one of the best periods of his life. The education he received helped launch his engineering career, but the lessons he learned extended well beyond the classroom.

“Leaving India and coming to live and study in Halifax taught me not to be judgmental. Different cultures and different people have different ways of doing things. There is no such thing as simply right or wrong — there is only different,” he says.  “And learning to accept those differences, to respect them, and to grow from them — that is what makes us better human beings. Dalhousie taught me that.”

Impact of philanthropy 

Financial support also played a pivotal role in Mallavarapu’s student experience. A scholarship from the Ford Motor Company allowed him to concentrate on his graduate studies without added financial pressure. “That scholarship planted a seed in me that I have never forgotten,” he says.

After returning to India, Mallavarapu spent a decade working in engineering before pursuing his dream of starting his own electronics company, Centum. He believes his education at Dalhousie and his experience living in Canada helped ensure his success. Through the difficult years of building his business, he also came to appreciate the enduring value of education.

“Fortunes come and go,” he says. “But one thing nobody can ever take away from you is your education and the degrees you have earned.”

For Mallavarapu, education provided more than professional qualifications. It offered the confidence to persevere through uncertainty and the knowledge that, whatever happened, he had the skills to build a future for himself and his family. 

That conviction now informs his philanthropy.

Opening doors

In June 2026, Mallavarapu committed $150,000 to establish the Rao Mallavarapu Bursary at Dalhousie. The endowed fund will support incoming Faculty of Engineering students who demonstrate financial need and academic promise, helping talented students pursue their degrees without financial circumstances standing in the way.

“I feel particularly strongly about supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds,” says Mallavarapu.   

His commitment reflects a belief that the benefits of education reach far beyond the individual. By helping students access an engineering education, he hopes to give them the opportunity to realize their potential and contribute meaningfully to their communities and professions. 

And the impact doesn’t stop there.

Education has a way of passing from parent to child, so each student supported today opens the door for the generations who follow. — Rao Mallavarapu

For Mallavarapu, establishing the bursary is also a way to honour the people and institution that helped shape his own journey. He credits the professors who supported him, including Dr. Warner, Dr. John Graham (BEng’62), and Dr. Ben Abdullah, with making his time at Dalhousie so meaningful.

Looking back on his experience as a scholarship recipient, he acknowledges that, as a young student, he was focused on his studies rather than on the idea of giving back. With time and the opportunity to do so, his perspective has changed. 

“I have been very lucky, and I am much older now,” he says. “I have the opportunity and the privilege to give back in my own small way to Dalhousie.”

Through the Rao Mallavarapu Bursary, that opportunity will extend to students whose talent and ambition may otherwise be constrained by financial need. His gift is a reminder that support received at a pivotal moment can leave a lasting impression and that, years later, the same generosity can open doors for someone else.