JACKSON TWP — Jim Stanek has had a long journey from Butler County theater stages to the lights of Broadway, and that journey started at Seneca Valley.

He came home Tuesday to talk to Seneca Valley High School students and to reminisce with friends he went to school with, some of whom are now faculty members in the district.

It was the ultimate homecoming for Stanek, who is here until Feb. 23 to perform the lead role of Robert in “Company” at the O'Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh.

Although Tuesday represented Stanek's first return to Seneca Valley, he always enjoys performing in Pittsburgh in front of friends and family.

Stanek, 42, graduated from Seneca Valley in 1989 and pursued acting at Carnegie Mellon University.

His career has included Broadway productions with actors such as Jude Law and Nathan Lane and several stints in national commercials and radio spots.

He told more than 100 students Tuesday an acting career is never easy, but it can pay tremendous dividends in terms of satisfaction.

As Stanek tells it, his journey started in the 7th grade when he participated in his first theater production at the school. He was looking for a way to fit in and had already tried sports, band and chorus.

“I was a nerd,” he said with a laugh. “I still am a nerd.”

Unfortunately, Stanek said he was often the victim of bullying in middle school. That is until he hit the stage and wowed his fellow students with comedy and acting.

He got so many compliments after his first show, even from those who'd previously bullied him.

“I thought, 'Oh my God, that was the kid who punched me in the face last week,'” Stanek said. “And he thought I was funny.”

To succeed in acting, Stanek said, a person must have “thick skin and be ready for major disappointments.” There will constantly be people questioning your career choice, he said, and there will always be hundreds, if not thousands, of other people vying for the same job.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

“I always dreamed about it, and so many people said it wasn't possible,” he said. “All you can give is the best part of yourself and hope (the casting directors) accept it.”

Stanek lives in New York City in a “very, very tiny” apartment with his wife and three young boys.

He is taking advantage of the time he has here. On Monday night, he said he had dinner with his former choral and theater teachers.

“I thrive on my family and where I come from,” he said.

Aaron Magill, chorus director at the school, helped bring Stanek back Tuesday.

“He has so many life lessons,” Magill said. “The students here can see some of the things he's done and the path he's gone down. I think it's something that's really good for the kids.”

Lance Hahn, a junior, agreed.

He plans on pursuing a career in music and singing, and he said that Stanek's talk inspired him to reach for lofty goals.

“It's something I want to go in to and something I'm very interested in,” he said.

Ben Jamison, another junior, said he enjoyed listening to Stanek talk about the auditions, something that concerns him in going into a music career.

“Hearing him talk about the audition process was really interesting,” Jamison said. “It's something that's kind of scared me before, but he gave some really good advice.”