Professor Profile: Steve Lytle
Lytle with the big trees on a field trip.
By Josiah Birkbeck
Professor Lytle is originally from Indiana and can now be found working with students in the STEM building teaching zoology; he also teaches environmental science and biology. Professor Lytle does have a Ph.d., but he prefers the title “Professor.”
Lytle started off his career in life sciences cleaning up poop in a veterinary hospital, eventually becoming a veterinary assistant. When he was young, he would receive magazine subscriptions labeled “Dr. Steve Lytle,” and there was expectancy on his part that he would continue in this field. Early on he was not the best student, flunking a biology class in high school. “It was the girl’s fault that I had to partner with; she was too pretty.” Despite this early failure and discouragement, Lytle buckled down and disciplined himself to study properly. “I just knew that ‘I want to do this.’ There was a point where I was going to give up because I was not doing good enough.” Thankfully though he did not give up and is able to teach at Taft College today.
Lytle currently holds a bachelor’s in biology, a master’s in entomology, and a doctorate in botany. Because of that attitude of commitment to his studies, Lytle enjoys teaching at community college as opposed to larger universities. For Lytle, community college offers a chance to make a meaningful impact with students that just does not exist at a university level “because teaching is about relationships with your students, so it’s a different kind of discussion rather than, you know, talking about genetics.” To students, Lytle has this advice to offer: “I think it comes down to getting experience in the field . . . somehow getting a job that connects you to what you want to do . . . you have to take whatever you can get; I cleaned poop.”
Lytle in class