Dr. Yolanda Simmons

Dr. Yolanda Simmons is a psychiatrist working as a consultant for Mens Sanus, Inc.

Description
At a glance, Yolanda Simmons is an attractive Black woman in her thirties. She stands about five and a half feet tall, with a slim build that suggests regular exercise: her thin neck slopes downward to solid-looking shoulders and toned arms. Her face has an oval shape, with dark, narrow eyes and strong cheek bones. She wears no makeup, save for a little gloss upon her lips. Her hair is black, with coppery highlights and drawn into shoulder-length braids that she's pulled back into a pony tail. She carries herself with great confidence and an air of seriousness, from the dour look she can give over the tops of her glasses, to the calculated way she seems to move. Right now, Yolanda wears a black down filled winter coat and a light blue scarf. Despite the weather, she's opted for a grey skirt and leather boots that rise to just below her knees. She carries a simple walking cane in her right hand and gives some of her weight to it when she walks.

Origin
When Yolanda was a child, she would get terrible headaches, with fainting spells, and gaps of 'missing time' in her memory. She was almost stuck living with these symptoms her entire live; luckily, when Yolanda was 12 her case caught the eye of Dr. Ernest Szasz, a doctor who was working for Mens Sanus. The doctor properly diagnosed the source of Yolanda's ailment: she was a potent psychic whose power was overwhelming her young mind. The doctor prescribed an experimental drug to help dampen Yolanda's powers to a manageable level. The treatment worked, and Yolanda takes the drug, in a modern form, to this day. Moreover, Dr. Szasz soon became an inspiration for Yolanda, and she grew determined to follow in his footsteps.

Yolanda graduated from CBSU in 2044, and continued at CBSU for medical school to study psychiatry. Her specialty was the use of psychic abilities in the diagnosis and treatment of mental ailments. In addition, she studied the biology of mental powers in humans. Yolanda excelled in her studies and graduated with honors. She went on to complete her residency at the local hospital, as a specialist in the field of using telepathy as a tool in diagnosing and resolving psychological ailment.

After her residency, Yolanda joined Mens Sanus and worked a hectic schedule as a high-priced consultant. She spent two weeks of every month flying around the country and maintaining the behavioral modifications (Major Transform) of various clients: from celebrities needing diet help, to paroled killers with parole-mandated CVKs. The rest of the month, Yolanda spent on other tasks including consulting for a number of U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.

While Yolanda rose in the company she eventually overtook the rank of her mentor, Dr. Szasz in the company. Also with her ascent, she grew more and more distant with Szasz. As a traditional psychologist, he was becoming left behind by the work of Yolanda and the other psychics at Mens Sanus. his last project was a failing attempt to develop a drug that would activate psychic abilities in normal humans. For Yolanda, it was a dark day when she had to inform her mentor that his project was being shut down and that he was being fired by the company.

Desperate to save his job and his reputation, Szasz sampled a new and untested version of his drug. The drug succeeded in converting him into a powerful psychic, but it also drove him mad. He went on a rampage, and Yolanda stopped him, but only by stopping her medication for a few days to tap more of her potential. After the fight she managed to place a number of psychic locks in Szasz's mind. He is presently locked up in Stronghold under sedation. After the fight, Yolanda lapsed into a coma for a couple of weeks, but has recently completed a full recovery.

Now, Yolanda is easing back into her normal workload. For now she's not being asked to fly around the country to visit clients. Mostly she's stationed in her hometown of Colonial Bay, consulting and teaching a class at CBSU. Periodically, she returns to Stronghold to renew the locks on Szasz's mind.

Powers
Yolanda is rated as a Class III mentallist, with telepathic, mind control and post-cognitive abilities.

Personality
Yolanda's nature is a combination of her parents: a high school teacher father and an accountant mother. She shares her dad's inquisitiveness and passion as an educator with her mother's attention for details and diligent work ethic. In the workplace, Yolanda's personality is influenced by her environment. As a high priced consultant for Mens Sanus, she's used to getting her way and bossing around subordinates.

Yolanda prides herself on being a true professional and follows codes of conduct, including her oath as a doctor to help her patients and to protect their privacy. She's conscious of her image as a professional and tries to maintain it at all times. Also, Yolanda's nerves get the best of her in combat situations: sometimes she freezes from fear of being hurt. Finally, Yolanda has a near compulsive need for her surrroundings to be clean and organized.

Relations
Yolanda enjoys a good relationship with her parents, who both live and work in Colonial Bay. Her younger sister is married with children, also in the city.

History
Yolanda returned to Colonial Bay around January of 2057.