Hugh Sesay

Hugh Granville Sesay was a officer, of Sierra Leonean descent, on active duty in the late 23rd and 24th centuries.

Sesay was born in 2274, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Dr. Julius Sesay, a professor of African languages and literatures at Leeds University, and Dr. Hannah Sesay, a professor of xenobiology at Starfleet Academy College of Medicine in San Francisco.

Sesay was an adept at languages. His first language was the Temne language of Sierra Leone, but also learned English and Federation Standard quickly due to his parents’ professional contacts. Among the other Terran languages Sesay spoke were Arabic, French, and Swahili. The first extrasolar language Sesay learned was Vulcan, which he appreciated due its musical origins. In addition to his linguistic abilities, Sesay was a star athlete in primary and secondary school, where his varsity letter was in association football (aka soccer).

He entered Starfleet Academy in 2292 and, among his other accomplishments, became captain of the Academy's association football team. Sesay graduated 17th of 800 with the class of 2296, whereupon he was granted the rank of ensign and posted to the USS Bluford as a communications specialist (xenolinguistics).

In 2298, Bluford intercepted several subspace communications bursts in a heretofore unknown language. Sesay was among the team of specialists who attempted to decipher the transmissions. Years later, these were found to be from a ship of the Tzenkethi Coalition. (: "Nearly a Valediction")

From 2299 to 2301, Sesay matriculated at the Academy College of Communications, then taught a seminar in nonlinear linguistic forms there. Sesay was promoted to lieutenant junior grade in 2302 and assigned to the USS Denpasar as a communications officer and xenolinguist. Following a successful five-year mission on that vessel, Sesay transferred to the USS Avenger in 2307 as a communications officer (beta shift) under Captain Dalek Kagan.

He was promoted to full lieutenant and made assistant chief of communications in 2308.