Etobicoke School of the Arts, Stepto learnt of an open audition for a television series named Degrassi Junior High from her drama teacher. She was the only student to act on it. She did not have a resume or professional headshots, and was required to send in a photo of herself to the production company. An argument ensued between Stepto and her parents, who felt her punk hairstyle wasn't suitable for television. She insisted she keep her hair for the picture, telling her parents, "If they don't like me, fuck them!". She was subsequently accepted. When her character became pregnant, fans mistook her for being pregnant in real life, and would often send the actress toys. She was also often asked for advice from parents and teenage mothers on sex and pregnancy as if she was a counselor. In the United Kingdom, where Degrassi Junior High experienced its highest viewership, the BBC refused to air "It's Late" along with several other episodes, shortly before Stepto was expected to promote the series in London. Stepto was critical of the BBC's decision when speaking to the British press. Speaking to the Daily Mirror on 13 May 1988, Stepto called the ban "kinda silly", and elaborated: "The issues we've been dealing with in the episodes they wouldn't show happen everywhere and people are going to find out about them sooner or later." She also explained that the show intended to educate its viewers on the subject and did not encourage it at all. Stepto later recalled that the press in the United Kingdom tried to make her "talk shit" about the BBC in response to the ban. Stepto was among the cast of Degrassi that were named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors by the Ontario branch of UNICEF Canada in 1989. Along with cast member Pat Mastroianni, Stepto visited the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, and met with other ambassadors. She served as the narrator for the UNICEF video The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights. In 1991, shortly after Degrassi High ended its run on television, Stepto along with five other cast members conducted interviews with teenagers across Canada about issues depicted in the show for a short-lived docuseries named Degrassi Talks, which aired from February to March 1992. She was the host of an episode that discussed teenage pregnancy, safe sex, and abortion. In the episode, she interviewed a woman