So...Passengers, meet Alien?  I mean, I'm game...  Here's my take on a character for this:

[hr]

Name: James "Jim" Glover
Age: 25
Nationality/Hometown on Earth: United States

Appearance: Jim stands about five foot ten, and sports sandy blond hair that is usually worn in an unkempt mop, prone to being brushed down by his fingers more than any actual brushing implement.  Well-tanned white skin from near constant work outdoors, bearing an array of scuffs and scars, primarily on his limbs and around his hands, as befits a man making his way as an outdoor laborer.
  
Personality:  Jim is perhaps a textbook definition of "easy-goin' sutherner", cracking wise and spreading a positive outlook on life wherever he goes.  Having grown up with his head in the clouds, and a nose in every book he could find, he's very open-minded about the world around him, and always looking forward to the next big discovery.

Skills: 
Jim is proficient in:
  -Caring for Domestic Animals
  -Operation of Agriculture-class machinery
  -Operation of Civilian ground transports

Jim displays adequate skill in:
  -Maintaining Agriculture-class Machinery
  -Maintaining Civilian Ground Transports
  -Using and Maintaining Civilian-class hunting Rifles
  -Hand-to-hand combat (if a bit rusty)

Jim displays a layman's knowledge of:
  -Computer Operation
  -Medical care for Domestic animals
  -Application of Neosporin, Band-aids, and Rubbing Some Dirt In It.

What was Jim doing on Earth/What was their occupation?: Livestock Farmer

Why did Jim sign up to be a colonist?: The idea of adventure has always excited Jim.  He and his father decided to travel to one of the colonies to help establish food supply after his mother was given the family farm when she divorced his father.

Why should I, the GM, allow your character to be one of the lucky few to wake up?: 

One of the key traits to horror is unfamiliarity.  Jim's opting to leave everything behind to help his father carry on the family business, and is well over his head in doing so.  He's never been in space, doesn't know how to fly anything, much less a spaceship, and his mechanical knowledge is limited to four wheels and maybe a front loader.  He's well skilled for what he does, but ultimately would have little to reliably offer beyond "heart and soul."  Plus, what tense situation wouldn't be better with a well meaning individual trying to fix that malfunctioning airlock and having a fifty fifty chance of either saving the day, or utterly buttf***in everyone left onboard?