Tomás de Vega

Personality Profile:

Tomas sustains a sincere curiosity about the depths of sentient nature and metaphysical existence.  He is exquisitely attuned to his own interior thoughts and feelings and yearns to understand the the unique and diverse individuals around him.  Compassionate and nonjudgmental, Tomas relishes the opportunity to listen to another’s life story; a task he considers to be an honor and privilege.  Gifted with copious amounts of empathy, Tomas can become troubled by the weight of the world.  As Chief Counselor, Tomas often feels isolated by minimal number of people to turn to with his own affairs, especially when surrounding by crew member’s negative moods and mindsets.  As a result, Tomas is heavily concerned with morale and creating opportunities for the crew to bond, recreate, and connect in healthy ways.  Tomas is introverted by nature, finding peaceful serenity in solitude.  This, however, does not mean that Tomas shies away from relationship and connection; preferring deep and intimate friendships where authenticity and genuineness is valued.

Strengths:

Empathy:  Tomas has had significant training in psychology and counseling which has fine tuned his natural emotional perceptiveness into a crafted ability to feel and accurately assess another person’s emotions, from joy and elation to sorrow and regret.

Open Minded: Tomas has always been curious, tolerant and accepting of beliefs, lifestyles, and decisions fostering a safe environment of unconditional positive regard to promote authenticity and Self-Actualization in relationship.

Idealistic: Tomas strives to follow his conscience, beliefs, and values amid turmoil, ambiguity, inconvenience.  He  desires to live a meaningful, purpose-filled life that helps others and leaves the world a better place.

Weaknesses:

Unrealistic: Tomas is a hopeless romantic about life.  He has espoused the Vulcan idiom “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” and can become easily discouraged when possibilities are ignored or denied without thought or experiment.

Self-isolating: Tomas identifies as an introvert, but still longs to connect with others.  Preferring deep connection and intimacy in friendship, Tomas can be reluctant to put himself out there in ways that would build new friendships and allow him to become involved in new communities.

Unfocused: Tomas often finds himself feeling frustrated by how difficult it can be to ‘buckle down and get things done’. The frustration is compounded by his own recognition that he is not  incapable, but that he is often so caught up in different ideas and ideals that it is difficult to commit to a specific course of action.

Self-critical: Tomas believe in his own unique identity and potential and strives to live to that ideal.  However, others have shared that he may have some unrealistic expectations. His own perceived failure to live up to these visions, often results in self-accusations about being useless, selfish, or woefully inadequate. Taken too far, this self-criticism is discouraging and results in ‘giving up’ on dreams and visions for the future.

History:

Tomas was born on Earth, in the ancient Spanish city of Toledo.  The only son of a neuroscientist and anthropologist, Thomas was pinned between scientific systems of analysis and humanistic metaphysics of human origins.  Both his mother and father were well recognized for their research and findings, often presenting as guest lecturers around the known galaxy.  As a child, Tomas was studious and intellectually curious.  Exposed to his parents’ research topics, findings, and presentations; he was exposed to ancient principles of Socratic dialogue, hypothesis development, and methodological systems for exploration and understanding.  From an early age, he became aware of the intricacies which make each sentient being uniquely diverse: psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally.  One of the first lessons he understood was that relationship was the doorway to understanding.

Introverted by nature, Tomas often observed friends and family behavior and affect before engaging.  He maintain a core group of friends, all of which considered themselves to be a “band of brothers,” none of which were biologically connected.  Throughout his life, Tomas focused on two great investments: Academics & Relationships.  He was a regular honoree on academic honor rolls and frequently invited guest to social peer group events.  Groomed by his parents, Tomas spent a significant portion of his academic career in the soft and hard sciences.  By the time college became of subject of discussion, it was expected that Tomas would become a researcher of science or history.  His own goals, however, centered around a commitment to his ‘band of brothers’ to join Starfleet and his high school sweetheart Courtney.

Acceptance into Starfleet Academy was a major achievement, even if his parents disagreed.  Tomas found support from Courtney and cheers from his band of close friends; all of whom were not surprised that he was admitted on the first try.  Adjustment to Academy was difficult as it was the first time Tomas had the experience of sharing his living space with several strangers.  He found himself along side ‘the best of the best,’ smackdab in a culture of cutthroat competition.   Interpersonal relationships were divided by cliques comprised of age, species, grades, and abilities; which made it difficult to connect and find one’s place.  Most of the first term was sent observing cultural norms and identifying potential allies and friends worth investment.

First year introduction to Xeno-Psychology opened Tomas’ eyes to the behaviors, maladaptive skills, and defense mechanisms; all of of which were employed by surrounding peers.  Delving deeper into fundamentals and the rich history, Tomas became absorbed in the material and learning all possible skills and techniques which would allow him to engage in the culture and break down barriers segregating the Academy.  Early in the first term, it was evident that Xeno-pyschology would be the focus of academic curriculum.  Employing his newfound field of expertise allowed him to connect with a variety of cadets from various different cliques.  As four years came to a close, it was clear to Tomas that graduate work in counseling would be the natural step in supporting Starfleet and it’s mission.

Two years at Starfleet Medical Academy finalized Tomas’ training to become a professional counselor, ready and able to address the psychological, emotional, and social needs of Starfleet service members spread throughout the galaxy.  A majority of his course work centered around Xeno/Multi-cultural counseling and Dual Roles within the counseling relationship.  Eager to serve onboard a starship, Tomas had explored the dynamics and relationships of crew dynamics onboard spacefaring vessels, especially smaller vessels in which ‘everyone knew everyone’.  His first posting was on the USS Fearless, an Excelsior Class Training Vessel, where he focused on serving recent academy graduates and non-commissioned officers in adjusting to life onboard a starship and long-term separation from friends and family.