Laural Witley

Name:	Laural Witley
Player:	Lori
Terran Age:	36
Height:	5'5"
Weight:	110 lbs
Species:	Human	POST ARCHIVE
Place of Birth:	Janaran Falls, Betazed
Date of Birth:	010101 (Stardate 010101.01)

Languages

Federation Standard, Betazoid

Interests

Singing, Acting and holo-novels (mysteries)

Education

2368-2369	Betazed Academy of Medicine - Janaran, Betazed
2370-2374	Starfleet Academy
2374-2375	Starfleet Medical - San Francisco, Earth - Surgical & Trauma Medicine/Traumatology Major

Service Record

2369-2370	Crewman; Counselor/Nurse, USS Caduceus (Olympic class)
2370-2375	Ensign; Counselor/Nurse, Starfleet Headquarters
2375-2379	Ensign; Counselor/Nurse, USS Pasteur (Olympic class)
2379-2379	Lt. JG; Assistant Chief Counselor, USS Windsor (Intrepid class)
2379-2380	Lieutenant; Chief Counselor, USS Windsor (Intrepid class)
2380-2383	Lieutenant; Chief Counselor, USS Miranda (Miranda class)
2383-2385	Lt. Cmdr.; Instructor, Starfleet Medical
2385-2388	Lt. Cmdr.; Chief Counselor, USS Windsor (Intrepid class)
2388-Pres.	Lt. Cmdr.; Chief Counselor, USS Vanguard (Nova class)

Decorations

2375	Dominon War Campaign Medal

Background

Laural Corynn Witley was born on June 11, 2352 to Hannah Marie Witley, a former Starfleet nurse, in the city of Janaran Falls on Betazed. Laural has never met her real father, a Starfleet Security Officer, with whom her mother had a brief romance. Though most of what Laural knows of him is sketchy, her mother has told her he was married at the time of their relationship. After only a few months, their relationship ended when he refused to divorce his wife and marry Hannah. Shortly after the breakup, Hannah learned she was pregnant and decided to keep her child, despite the stigma of being an unmarried mother in Betazed high society. To protect her former lover from scandal, who had by now reconciled with his wife, Hannah never divulged the name of her daughter's father to anyone.

For the next seven months, Hannah continued to work as a nurse at Betazed Memorial Hospital. The work was difficult and Hannah suffered from complications throughout her pregnancy, almost losing Laural several times because of stress and high blood pressure. When Hannah gave birth to Laural prematurely in 2352, she and her newborn daughter suffered serious injury. The difficult delivery had weakened Hannah's heart significantly and post partum haemorrhaging forced the doctors to perform an immediate hysterectomy. Though Hannah was devastated that she could have no more children, she knew she would have her hands full with the seriously ill Laural. Her daughter's severely underdeveloped lungs and low birth weight were just the beginning of her problems. Laural had sustained extensive brain damage and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctors told Hannah that they wouldn't know how extensive Laural's impairment was until she got older and at the time, they told her it would be a miracle if she survived the night.

Hannah refused to give up on Laural, and as a result of Hannah's nurturing, Laural thrived; though the cerebral palsy left her confined to a gravchair. Though Laural has some physical limitations, it is clear she has no such difficulties mentally. Laural did well in school early on. She especially loved medicine and she would spend hours after school watching her mother work. Her mother worked during a great deal of her childhood, though she was always a very caring and loving mother. It was always important to Laural to make her mother proud, so she tried always to focus on the things she could do well rather than the things she could not.

Laural longed to join Starfleet as a Medical Officer but there was some doubt as to how receptive Starfleet Academy would be to cadets like Laural who could not walk and experienced difficulty with some of life's basic tasks. Never before had someone in a gravchair attempted to join Starfleet. Laural's teachers advised her not to apply, lest the intelligent girl be discouraged, but Laural applied anyway and was turned down. Though frustrated and angry that her physical limitations could so overshadow her determination to succeed, she vowed then and there not to let her first failed attempt be the end of her dreams. She studied harder than ever and was given the opportunity to enter the Early Admissions Program at the Betazed Academy of Medicine upon completing the Honors Program in General Education, affiliated with the University of Betazed.

Laural jumped at the opportunity and entered the Nursing Program in the fall of 2368. The Betazed Academy proved to be the first of many trials for Laural but she was determined to complete the program. Also majoring in Counselling was at first only an after thought for Laural but she knew the basic skills would help her to better relate to her patients. Her academic advisors felt Counselling would be a good fall back career for her, should her "physical liabilities" impede her success as a nurse. Her fascination with Counselling grew and soon she was on her way to becoming a certified counsellor - a much more "sensible" occupation for someone like her - according to the dean of the Nursing Program. Not wanting to be railroaded into one career or the other just because it seemed the most attainable to everyone except herself - including her mother, Laural's competitive nature took over and she was dead set on mastering both fields.

It was not an easy road but with the help of specially designed medical equipment created just for her use and her dedication to her studies, Laural was able to master the skills needed to become a registered nurse and to gain an Associates Degree in Counselling. After graduation, Laurel went to work at Betazed Memorial Hospital to help support her ailing mother who sadly, died of congestive heart failure in August of that same year.

After her mother's death, Laural applied for a position as a nurse on the USS Caduceus - deciding that a chance to work on a starship was what was most important to her - even if she never got to Starfleet Academy. Her application was accepted and she was delighted to work as a nurse and a counsellor aboard the Ambassador class medical ship. Laural soon proved her worth on the Caddy, gaining recognition as a cool under pressure, strong willed medical crewman who cared a great deal about the ship and crew. She frequently filled in for the Head Nurse, proving she was capable of leading others. When it was announced that Starfleet Academy had created a program for students with disabilities, the Captain of the Caduceus gladly put in a recommendation. Laural was both shocked and excited to learn she had been accepted. After a year aboard the USS Caduceus, she was once again a student.

Starfleet Academy proved to be challenging both academically and personally. Since she was one of a hand full of disabled students, all eyes were on her and the others in her program. She, and the other disabled students, became something of a celebrity at the Academy - but that brought its own pressures. Not everyone was supportive and it seemed as though there were people just waiting to see her fail.

During her days at the Academy, Laural managed to maintain a positive outlook and continued to work hard - constantly trying to prove herself to her critics and more importantly to herself. While at the Academy, Laural met her best friend, Karyn Dallas, who was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy and confined to a gravchair. Besides having this in common, the two had similar personalities and the same determination to thrive. Both also majored in Counselling, sharing a strong desire to help others and to remain as independent as possible.

For the first time since before her mother died, Laural was able to talk about not having a father in her life, while Karyn discussed what it was like to live with a father suffering from alcoholism. The two looked to each other for support and together the two redheads took the Academy by storm. While at the Academy, Laural earned a new nickname - Wit - that was not just a play on her surname, but resulted because of Laural's tendency to use sarcasm and humour. Laural's refusal to be denied anything earned her a great deal of respect from her classmates and soon she gained a close circle of friends.

Together Karyn and Laural established the Students With Disabilities Council, which focuses on making the Academy accessible and provides services for the handicapped. Karyn and Laural seemed joined at the hip, becoming members of the Debate Team and Drama Club. Both women graduated in 2374 with highest honours.

Karyn went on to serve as a counsellor on the USS Galaxy, while Laural was offered a year's internship at Starfleet Medical. Laural took more advanced nursing courses, deciding to specialize in Surgical and Trauma medicine. The advanced psychology courses she also took called for more hands-on experience, which she gained while interning in Starfleet Medical's University Hospital.

Upon completion of her internship, Laural was finally ready to start her first duty assignment as a commissioned officer. Laural was pleased to learn her first assignment would be aboard the USS Pasteur, an Olympic class medical ship designed for patients in need of cutting edge medical care they could not find elsewhere. In addition, the Pasteur was outfitted for high stress search and rescue missions, and as a "ship of mercy," its crew saw themselves in the middle of its fair share of skirmishes where they were expected to take sides. While rewarding and intellectually challenging, after four years and a promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade in such a high stakes assignment, Laural decided she needed a change of pace.

That opportunity came in the form of the USS Windsor, which departed on its second mission into uncharted territory under the command of Captain Genevieve St. Claire. Laural was originally assigned as the Assistant Chief Counselor and a member of the nursing staff, but shortly after she arrived, the Windsor's Chief Counselor, Jennifer Bransford, was called home on a family emergency. St. Claire promoted Laural to Chief Counselor, and she was later promoted to full Lieutenant.

Life aboard the Windsor was never dull, and serving in deep space challenged Laural to "think on her feet" because she couldn't open a channel to her colleagues every time she needed advice or clarification. Witley learned how to be a counsellor, a diplomat, and a leader aboard the Windsor, developing a sense of camaraderie with the crew, especially with Genevieve St. Claire, that she hadn't experienced in her career up to that point. It was for this reason that her transfer orders to the USS Miranda came with shock and disappointment at first. The Miranda had just lost its captain and Starfleet Command was looking for someone who could serve as the Chief Counselor to a larger crew without the need for extensive hand-holding from the brass.

Laural left the Windsor reluctantly but soon came to realize her loyalty to Starfleet had to come above all, and she thrived aboard the Miranda. She enjoyed serving aboard a ship where there was less pressure compared to a medical ship, and also more direct support available from Starfleet Command and Starfleet Medical than she'd had aboard the Windsor.

After more than two years of calling the Starship Miranda home, Laural eventually elected to spend some time away from starship duty. Since graduating from the Academy, her time had been spent in several stressful assignments, and she found herself beginning to burn out. When an opening as a counselling instructor became available, she decided it was the perfect opportunity to relax and focus on her research. After two years of service as an instructor and a special assistant to the Director of Starfleet Counselling, Laural was promoted to Lt. Commander.

However, it wasn't long before Laural was ready to shed her administrative responsibilities for more active Starfleet life. Starfleet Command had reluctantly agreed to grant her next assignment request after she was pulled unceremoniously off the Windsor the first time, so when she learned her good friend Genevieve St. Claire was taking the Windsor on another mission, this time for five years, Laural decided to call in the favour.

Laural is now assigned as the Chief Counselor of the USS Vanguard, where she should find herself buay and challenged.

Personality Profile

Laural has never let her disability stop her. She has a quick wit and frequently uses sarcasm. She is an ambitious young woman who is a loyal friend and is cool under pressure. She will follow orders but she isn't afraid to open her mouth and share her feelings. She takes her duties very seriously. In difficult situations she is all business and no nonsense. When provoked, she has a fiery temper. Laural will talk about her disability openly but prefers to be independent and only asks for help when absolutely necessary.