“Trust the process” is a phrase too often used and not-as-often appreciated. For senior Jerry Barca, trusting the process is more of a way of life than just a saying.
To Saint Joseph High School, Jerry Barca is the student body president for the 2023-2024 school year, a varsity basketball player, a member of the National Honor Society and the Unity Council, and a council member for the mascot committee. But to Jerry, all these undertakings are just part of a plan to become the person he strives to be. In Barca’s words, ” If you are committed to being somebody, make sure your actions align with that commitment.”
Barca’s actions speak for themselves: he was recently awarded the Lily Endowment Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship that guarantees full tuition to any college or university in Indiana. He describes his reaction as “a feeling of relief and shock.” Barca plans to use his scholarship attending the University of Notre Dame, where he plans to study neuroscience. Attending Notre Dame has been a goal of his since as early as first grade, and has been his motivation for success throughout high school.
However, Jerry already has a foot in the door at Notre Dame—many feet, really. On top of his academic, athletic, and extracurricular responsibilities, Jerry has been running a business painting custom shoes for clients. His most recent clients? None other than the University of Notre Dame’s Men’s Basketball Team. He was asked by a connection in the athletics department to create customized shoes for 11 scholarship players, as well as Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry (See the shoes on the Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Social Media platforms). After about 100 hours of combined work on the shoes, Barca was extremely relieved at their debut: “seeing my first big project be with the team I’ve been supporting for as long as I can remember is pretty incredible.”
With college around the corner, what does the future hold? “The dream is to become the shoe guy for a ton of famous people.” says Barca, “Have the shoe business take off, still get a degree from Notre Dame, and continue to do what I love.” Barca also hopes to be involved in research during his time at Notre Dame and eventually open his own research company.
While Jerry’s dedication to his responsibilities has provided great opportunities, he recognizes the importance of gratitude through it all: “I don’t think it has really hit me yet that I won’t have to pay for college, but it will eventually. I am extremely grateful.”
His advice? Stay committed to the plan. “Often, it will be easy to stray from that commitment, but remember the end result. Trust the end result.”
