Stephen David Lefkowicz is a junior at the time of the opening of the first story. He comes from a small town in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. His family is of a middle-class background in an area where the standard of living has never been very high, so he tends to sometimes be overwhelmed by the rich backgrounds of other people in his class like Kessel and Yurika. On the other hand, Steve makes friends very easily, and can be comfortable in just about any crowd.
Steve believes that his mission in life is to make sure that he and everyone around him can have a good time, and a good time to Steve includes lots of road trips, dates, crowded parties and loud music. A naturally outgoing and gregarious person, when Steve meets someone who doesn't fit in with the "cool" crowd, his first instinct is to try to bring them into the group, rather than exclude them. This sometimes bears good results, but also has the potential to backfire, especially with people whose definition of a good time doesn't agree with Steve's.
Academically, Steve is more at home in the humanities than the sciences. He is a naturally gifted linguist, and likes to read literary works in their original language. At present, Steve is fluent in English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese, and is in the process of learning several more tongues. He is a popular companion on Yurika and Kessel's international jaunts, since he is the closest thing they have to a "universal translator". Naturally, his best grades are in English and other languages. He does well in history, and dislikes math but can get good grades with some effort (which he doesn't always give). He positively hates science classes, and as the current school year opens, he is faced with the intimidating prospect of having to pass Dr. Kernkraft's physics course, which he had managed to avoid taking so far. Steve's best friends at Ikibomot are Yurika and Kessel. The three of them met when they were freshmen and have shared many adventures together. Steve also has a large group of acquaintances whom he has taken under his wing as part of the "party" crowd; they can be counted on to turn out in large numbers for any plan which requires large numbers of helping hands or promises to generate a major party. Steve has also befriended Terri Maxon; an unlikely person for Steve's circle of friends, she impressed him by lending him several books by authors he'd never discovered (anyone who can provide Steve with new reading material wins points with him), and they hold regular study sessions together, Terri helping Steve with math and Steve helping Terri with history.
Steve enjoys sports; he is a member of the baseball team and plays intramural basketball. Anyone organizing an impromptu weekend game on the fields will find Steve ready to join up and bring along several more players. He has recently taken up floor hockey, more for the opportunity to swing around a big stick than for any love of the sport. His efforts to organize a "Hall Hockey" league in the dorms have not endeared him to the school's disciplinary officials.
Steve is about 5'10", with dark hair and brown eyes. His hair is slightly curly -- perhaps wavy would be a better way to describe it. He wears his hair short on the top and sides and a little longer in back. His build is a little on the slim side, but you wouldn't describe him as really thin. Probably the best visual reference for him would be a young Jerry Seinfeld. He prefers to wear casual clothes such as khakis and polo shirts, and likes sunglasses.