You may have heard of Steven Lai—the brand-new Geometry Honors and AT Calculus teacher. On the surface, he may seem like your everyday, relatable all-girls-school-educating-glasses-wearing-teacher, but he’s far from a run-of-the-mill instructor. From his love of romance movies and obsession with binge-watching TV shows, Lai is far more relatable than any of us imagined. We discussed Lai’s background, his love for “Grey’s Anatomy” and his favorite invasive species, among other fun facts.
What would you say is your background? What did you do before Casti? Did you teach anything else? Where’d you grow up?
I moved to Fresno from Hong Kong when I was almost five and grew up there all the way through high school. From there, I went to college on the East Coast, and I lived there for the last eight years. I was teaching in Boston for four years when I moved back [here] in 2019. I’ve been teaching in Daly City from 2019 to now.
What is a strange fact about you that you wouldn’t like to tell us?
Theoretically, I have slight OCD. For example, [when I’m] watching TV shows, I have to watch every episode. If I start a TV show, I have to watch it until it gets canceled or it completes. So for example, “Grey’s Anatomy” started in the early 2000s, and I’m still watching that. I don’t even like it anymore. I mean, it’s okay. I just have to watch it because I just have to finish it. So I have that little completionist in me that I’m sometimes embarrassed about. I mean, I’ve been watching for 20 years now.
Do you consider yourself a hunter or a gatherer?
I think it depends. But probably more of a gatherer. You’re still providing for the community, but in a more peaceful way.
What social media app do you consider your favorite?
I don’t really use social media, but I guess the only one would be Instagram, which I rarely use.
What would you consider your music taste to be?
I think some people say it’s “teenage girl.” I’d say I like a lot of Taylor Swift and then, on Spotify, I’ll just play related music. So after I play a whole album, I just play a lot of artists that are similar. Then I’m like, “Oh, I kind of like this,” and then I listen to more of it. So that’s why I do like Taylor Swift adjacents—lots of similar artists.
What’s your favorite album from Taylor Swift?
My favorite album is Evermore.
Who would you say inspires your style of clothing?
I try to go for casual or business casual. I like a lot of khakis and shorts and then polos, that kind of thing. I look up to those Golf Club Grandpas, that vibe.
What’s your favorite invasive species?
Wasps. That’s at least the one that comes to mind, just some type of them.
What kind of wasps?
There’s like these wasps that burrow inside, and they lay eggs into each other. Yeah, I think, I think that’s one of the [types of wasps]. Don’t fact-check me on that.
What was your most recent adventure?
I think the biggest thing I did over summer was just like camping in Tahoe for a week. It was just a way to unplug and go out in nature. We did a lot of hikes, went to sit in the lake and then did a few 7 mile hikes, other things like that.
If you were given an elephant that you couldn’t sell or give away, what would you do with it?
Ride it around the neighborhood. That’s great, like every day. Why not? I’m sure the elephant needs exercise. Part of it would just be taking your dog for a walk. But then why not ride it if it’s an elephant? But it would definitely need to be trained. Yeah, I would train the elephant.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be, but what secret catch would you have?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a mind reader, because I think as a teenager you always want to know what other people think about you and all that kind of stuff. I guess the catch would be maybe if you do it too much, you get a nosebleed or something. If you do it too much, maybe there’s a limit on how many things. And then you get headaches. You get a nosebleed. So you can’t abuse the power, you know?
What do you think of garden gnomes? Pros and cons?
I think they’re seasonal. So Christmas, okay. If you want to do it if it’s fall, maybe you can, but definitely not in the spring and summer. So I think fall and winter are okay. Once it hits like maybe February, it’s like, no, they got to go.
How many seagulls do you think you could take in a fight to the death?
Probably like four. I feel like once they start pooping on you and the other one’s peck you, you just have to accept your fate. Yeah, I think four is definitely a good number.
Do you have a favorite movie?
Growing up it used to be “The Notebook,” but my favorite movie now is “John Wick,” the first one. That’s probably one that I could rewatch.
What are you most excited about for the rest of the school year at Castilleja?
Right now, we’re doing a lot of sports. I know a lot of students do sports here, and so just going to games. I’m coaching flag football right now, and then also maybe basketball when it starts because I’m a big basketball fan. But yes, I look forward to doing a lot of sports.
Though it is only Lai’s first year at Castilleja, he has already been dubbed a favorite by many students. His teen-girl music taste and love for burrowing wasps are just some of the reasons why students love his unique personality, and we hope you learned something new about one of our newest additions to the Circle.
