Finance for good

Being a force for good is really important to Justin Caccavo (BBA ‘25) – and it shows. He’s on “The Shirt” committee, raising money for students with unexpected medical expenses. He traveled to Appalachia for a service project over fall break. And last spring, he volunteered with local shelter Hope Ministries to babysit for homeless families. So it's no surprise that the mission of the Business Honors Program (BHP) reeled him in. “At first, I thought it would just be an advanced course load, to be honest. But it’s so much more than that,” said Caccavo. “Everyone in BHP takes ‘Grow the Good in Business’ seriously.” Before coming to Notre Dame, Caccavo completed an internship at Hudson Bay Capital, which confirmed his interest in the finance industry. But after starting college, Caccavo realized there sometimes was a stigma of greed or selfishness associated with being a finance major. Joining BHP, taking the required courses, and hearing from guest speakers at the colloquia helped him conceptualize how he could use business in a way that helps others. Now, Caccavo is fully on board. “It’s so important to believe in what you’re doing and know you’re on the right path in life. BHP is helping with that. It helped me see that finance can be a really good way to help people and contribute to society.” A big part of that self-discovery resulted from Caccavo’s relationship with BHP mentor Rich Meyer (MSM ‘22). The BHP mentorship program is unique in its goal. Unlike other programs that focus on helping students through an interview process or find a job, BHP mentors. help students develop a fully integrated life, spiritually and professionally, assisting with a broad range of concerns from mental health to personal issues. For Caccavo, this means bringing his “whole” person to the office every day and not checking his Catholic faith at the door. “As a finance and theology double major, it has been really cool to bring both together and consider big questions like ‘Why are we taking business seriously as if a vocation from God?’” he said. As for his career trajectory, Caccavo originally was only considering the first steps of his career. But after taking BHP courses and working with his mentor, he has begun to look 10, 20 and 30 years down the road. He's hoping to pursue a path to a leadership position; something that allows him to offer goods or services that tangibly benefit society. Wherever he ends up, he wants to make sure he’s not just earning a living, but contributing to the greater good of the world.