I came of age around the time Antosia IV was admitted to the Federation. Fascinated by the various allied species that visited our world, I had decided that one day I would enlist in Starfleet. My parents were especially resistant to my dreams of leaving home to explore the galaxy aboard a Federation starship. 

Misfortune had fallen on my family only a month before I was set to travel to Earth.  One of my parents contracted a disease that corroded their cellular structures and inhibited their ability to regenerate.  After their death, I felt obligated to remain on my homeworld to help raise my younger siblings. I was nearly 40 Earth years in age when I finally resumed my dreams of joining Starfleet.

While I anticipated some friction in social situations, I soon discovered changing my form to ""fit in"" to different cliques made things easier. My classmates thought my abilities were novel and often pressed me to use them for mischief. However, I would rather assume a familiar shape of and befriend someone who seemed unconfortable in a sea of mostly humans, Vulcans, and Andorians.

For the sake of identification across any forms I might take, Starfleet placed one restriction on my metamorphosis.  Regardless of the form I take, my eyes must be a vibrant shade of violet as it rarely occurs naturally in any other species.  Alternatively, I can wear a pre-approved modified uniform.

After Antos IV's admittance to the Federation in 2378, there was mixed sentiment among the Antosian people. My family were apprehensive of Federation motives. Their suspicion that the Federation might interfere with or dillute our culture bordered on paranoia. Being able to take any form we please, I cannot describe my parents in terms of gender-roles. My primary caretaker stayed home with me and my siblings while my other parent worked as a public servant for the local government.