Rob LeForte (BA’12) believes giving back to Dalhousie is an act of gratitude for his education. (Submitted photo)
Supported by scholarships and bursaries, Rob LeForte (BA’12) was able to make the most of his Dal experience, opening the door to a successful career in public affairs. Through his monthly gift, he wants to give Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences students the same opportunities.
It was 2014 and Rob LeForte (BA’12) had just paid off his student loan. Looking for a way to celebrate this achievement, the political science graduate reached out to Dal to see how he could help a new generation of Arts and Social Sciences students.
“I wanted to give something every month, even if it was a small amount,” recalls LeForte, an Ottawa-based specialist in government relations and advocacy campaigns. “When you have hundreds or thousands of alumni doing that, it adds up to something more substantial over time, so I started making a gift.”
LeForte knows giving back isn’t necessarily a priority or even an option for most new graduates. But he made a commitment in part because the impact of the support he received as a student was still fresh on his mind.
“I was very lucky to receive an entrance scholarship,” says LeForte. “I also received the Alumni Leadership Award and a bursary at the start of my third year. That made things much easier for me, which is why helping someone else in need became a priority for me.”
An advocate for change
Supported by scholarships and bursaries, LeForte was not only able to focus on his political science courses, but also able to get involved on campus, specifically as a student union representative. This opportunity allowed him to engage politicians at the Nova Scotia legislative assembly and on Parliament Hill on issues ranging from student grants to industrial policy.
“It was exciting to be in the thick of it and see that you could make change just by talking to politicians,” he says. “I was very lucky right after my experience at Dal to get a job lobbying for students in Ottawa, and I turned that into a career.”
In 2021, LeForte launched his own government relations and advocacy firm, First Lake Solutions, whose name is a subtle nod to the summers he spent paddling on Lake Banook as a teen. The clients he represents reflect his passion for making a difference. “For example, we are working with a national organization dedicated to fighting AIDS, syphilis, and tuberculosis,” LeForte says. “It’s really rewarding work, and that helps me sleep well at night.”
Learning to unlearn
While LeForte was one of the typically few new graduates who decided to start giving so soon after completing their degrees, he stresses that doing so in small amounts, once alumni have a bit of income security, can make a difference.
In some ways, he says his monthly gift to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is an expression of gratitude to Dal for the difference it made in his life through all he learned. But it is also an acknowledgement of everything he got to ‘unlearn’ as a student.
“There is a tendency when you are young to look out for yourself,” LeForte explains. “That falls away when you have opportunities to work with so many different people—deans, faculties, societies, staff. If I hadn’t had that experience, there’s no way I’d be able to do half the things I do now.”
LeForte wants a new generation to have access to that same experience so they can succeed in their own way. Even more important, he wants them to have access to the same transformative support.
“I know how good it feels when you know you’ve received a scholarship or bursary,” he says. “It was important for me, and I am sure it is even more important for students now given the cost of living. That’s why I continue to give. I want to make sure students have all the resources they need to benefit from a Dal education.”
Ten years after making his first monthly gift, LeForte is now a bronze-level member of Dalhousie’s MacLennan Society —which recognizes donor loyalty—and says he is considering other ways he can have an impact. He has been thinking about establishing a fund to support the Dal men’s rugby team, which he played for as a student, and a scholarship that will help to remove barriers for promising students.
“I will always try to do more for Dalhousie,” he says. “I want to ensure that it is the best university in the world. It’s not just because it’s good for alumni like me to be associated with a growing, thriving institution, but also because that will open doors for the students who follow in our footsteps.”