Personal Biography:Born to Gerrardo and Elena Antonini as the fourth of eight children, Regina learned early about compromise and the intricacies of living intimately with large groups of people. Both sets of grandparents lived with the family in their large seaside villa, and three of Regina's older sisters had moved back home with their husbands and children. Although the villa was well-equipped to handle such a large extended family, it did present logistically challenging situations. Regina, from her position of middle child, learned very quickly that body language and facial expressions usually said more (and more honestly) than words did. Regina was a happy child, a favorite of her grandparents, and had a normal upbringing. She swam in the ocean and skiied the Apennine Mountains. She was quite an accomplished skier, in fact, and was training for the Olympics when she fell on one of the slopes and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Subsequent operations returned full function but competition skiing was too risky to continue. The procedures on her knee introduced Gina to the medical world. She was fascinated by the idea of being a "fixer". It appealed to the compromising, fixing middle child in her. She decided on a dual major -- medical doctorate and psychiatry, pursuing both at the same time. It was a VERY busy time in her life and afforded little time for outside interests. After obtaining her doctorate, Regina continued her studies, both in the university and out. She focused on her skills in nonverbal communication, honing it until her mother accused her of being psychic. Gina reminded her that, as of yet, only the Vulcans had been found to have telepathic ability. All she did was observe the face, the eyes, the body language of the people she interacted with. When the Enterprise launched, Regina was captivated and extremely curious. What would it be like, living off the Earth? Living with non-Humans? What changes must Humans undergo to successfully thrive in these circumstances? She immediately applied to Star Fleet Academy, continuing with her dual majors, medicine and psychiatry. At age 25 she earned her Professorship and transferred to continue her studies at Jupiter Academy. Gina loved it. After one year, she applied for and received a berth outside the solar system, as Counselor and Medical Officer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
