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MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee teen is on the way to stardom. And he thanks a local organization for helping make it happen. Jeremy Tardy caught the acting bug early in life. At a kindergarten presentation, to be exact. "I'll never forget being on stage, in front of all those people and it was just this adrenalin and this wonderful feeling and since then I just knew this was definitely it," he recalled. Every year, Jeremy's school class got to see plays put on by First Stage Children's Theater. Monies from UPAF, the United Performing Arts Fund, helped make that happen. For Jeremy, it was the calling to a career. "I'd run home and pester my mom every day about auditioning for a First Stage Show," he told us. He auditioned, and landed a part. That was 7 years ago. Since then, he's appeared in dozens of productions and many leading roles. Now, he's got a new challenge. Jeremy is just one of 18 people in the world to be accepted to the acting program at the prestigious Juilliard School in Manhattan. Jeremy encourages others to contribute to UPAF. He told us without the help from First Stage, and UPAF, he wouldn't be where he is today. "This money is going to help people who can't afford it, people like me who couldn't pay for the classes and needed a little extra help, and with that you can go far." True words from a smart young man. And we'll likely be hearing about him much more as his career develops.