Lieutenant Elena Valdez
Name Elena Maria Valdez
Position Chief Medical Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 35 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5' 7" | |
| Weight | 130 lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Brown | |
| Physical Description | Elena has the same coloring as many women of Latin descent: wavy black hair, brown eyes, and a dusky complexion. Her build has always been more on the voluptuous side, but she has to work hard to keep that from turning to matronly. She has a strong nose, lively eyes, and a mouth quick to smile, but is otherwise unremarkable. Her ears are pierced, but she has no other noteworthy features. |
Family
| Spouse | Ethan Djemrai (separated) | |
| Children | none | |
| Father | Marco Valdez | |
| Mother | Senaida Coreas Valdez | |
| Brother(s) | none | |
| Sister(s) | none | |
| Other Family | Maternal grandmother - Nina Coreas |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Highly inquisitive and intelligent, Elena never backs down from a problem until it's solved. She's never happier than when analyzing some new medical mystery, and is always full of wonder at the marvelous variations of life the universe holds. While on the job she tends to be persistent and focused, but generally remains jovial even during stressful situations. Off the job Elena is open, friendly, and no stranger to having a good time. Although she definitely enjoys time by herself now and then, Elena has been known to be something of a flirt. Unfortunately, she also loves gossip, and can't keep a secret worth a damn. Over time she's come to respect patient confidentiality at the very least, but every now and then she still slips up. This, combined with her love of playing matchmaker, has landed her in hot water several times, but she tends to brush it all off with characteristic good cheer. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Life sciences are definitely her forte; not only is Elena adept in the medical care of humans and human-like species, but she is also a highly skilled xenobiologist. She even dabbles in botany now and then. Her keen intelligence and problem solving abilities have always been her greatest strengths. At her heart, Elena is a researcher. Unfortunately, with this sometimes comes a callousness towards her patients whom she occasionally views more as guinea pigs for her theories rather than as people in need of care. Most people rarely see this side of Elena, however, as it is often masked by her congenial personality. Back at the Academy Elena struggled with her martial arts classes. Eventually she was finally deemed adequate and managed to pass, but Elena would rather study something than fight it, and is happy to leave any sort of combat to the professionals. She never has had a head for tactics or strategy, and this would probably keep her from captaining a vessel should she ever desire it. |
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| Ambitions | Elena has never felt the need to advance in rank for the sake of prestige or status. She has enjoyed climbing the medical ranks more because of the freedoms that come with rank, and so would probably never aim for anything that took her away from what she really loves. Her ultimate goal is merely to explore and research new life forms and advance the field of medicine. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | With a father as a chef and a mother as a gardener, Elena loves cooking (and eating!) and gardening. She is also an avid rock climber, dancer, reader, and loves holodeck novels and sports. She's always loved the outdoors, and roaming the wilds of newly discovered planets is one of her greatest passions. |
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| Languages | English, Spanish, a little Portuguese |
| Personal History | The only child of a chef and an estate gardener, Elena's earliest memories are of exploration and adventure. She spent her childhood roaming the valleys and forests of "Las Barrancas del Cobre," or the Copper Canyon of Chihuahua, Mexico. With the natural world as a tutor she learned to love science. She was further influenced by her maternal grandmother, who was a nurse practitioner and still seeing clients at the ripe old age of 91. The small community where Elena grew up was also the seasonal home to a clan of merchant familes. Once a year they would travel to Mexico from their galactic trade routes, and there they would spend several weeks resupplying, making repairs, and enjoying the warm tropical sun. Among this gypsy-like group of travelers were several children. Two of them, siblings by the name of Aeryn and Ethan Djemrai, became fast friends with Elena, and she discovered that they knew all sorts of delightful ways to get into trouble. Soon enough the arrival of her best friends and their family's ship, the Emerald Luck, became the highlight of every year. Elena was the mellowest of the three, but that wasn't saying much. Ethan was constantly getting them into situations entirely unsuitable for for children, while Aeryn looked for any excuse to start a brawl. Although she was a bit of a trouble maker herself, Elena was most commonly the one to smooth things over in the end. As the three grew into young adults they remained as impulsive as ever. One winter Ethan and Elena ran north to Las Vegas, getting married by a Ferengi dressed like Elivs in one of the 'love chapels' the city is famous for. With such an oddball wedding, it was no surprise that the couple had some issues from the start. Ethan had expected that Elena would want to take up the space trader lifestyle; Elena was intent on going to med school and wanted Ethan to stay on Earth. Neither would compromise, so they kept doing what they always did: Elena stayed on Earth and studied medicine at John Hopkins University. Ethan returned to space and returned every winter for a few weeks. It was an odd relationship, but it worked for a while. A couple years after their marriage, Ethan's father retired, leaving him the Emerald Luck. Gradually the visits to earth came less and less frequently, and the stays were of shorter duration. In addition, Elena suspected that Ethan's income-earning methods weren't quite as ethical as his father's, who wasn't a very scrupulous man to being with. And then one year the Emerald Luck didn't show. By then Elena had pretty much written her husband off the books. She had her own medical practice now, and wasn't about to go galavanting about space to drag her reluctant husband home. If he wanted her, he knew where to find her. At this point Elena wasn't going to waste any tears on Ethan, although she did miss their childhood adventures. Aeryn still dropped by now and then to visit her friend and sister-in-law. During the Dominion war Aeryn had enlisted as a Star Fleet marine, surprising herself and Elena both. The wiry half-Klingon woman was posted on the USS Excalibur, where she was eventually promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant. The wild tales of Aeryn's adventures in Star Fleet lodged themselves in Elena's mind, and unknown to her family she applied to Star Fleet Academy. She was heartily accepted despite the fact that she was ten years older than the normal cadet. Elena's previous education and practical experience allowed her to graduate early. In addition to her medical expertise, Elena's time at the Academy allowed her to expand her knowledge of xenobiology and botany. Should the need arise, she could pick up the duties of a science officer in these fields. |
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| Service Record | 2384 - Star Fleet Medical Academy - Cadet 2387 - Assigned to the USS Iapetus as the Chief Medical Officer - Lieutenant Junior Grade |