Former Vera Jackson Scholarship recipient Dr. Jesse Rockmore reflects on the support and mentorship that guided his journey back home to serve the communities of rural North Georgia.
Today, I serve as a urologist at Union General Health System, providing specialty care throughout the mountain communities of North Georgia. A little over a year ago, I returned home after years of education, training, and practice elsewhere. Looking back, I recognize that the Vera Jackson Scholarship played an important role in making that path possible. As a student from Lumpkin County, the same county that shaped Vera Jackson, I benefited from opportunities created by her vision and generosity.
The scholarship foundation offered more than financial support. The mentors associated with the program remained invested in students long after scholarship awards were distributed. After graduating from college during the Great Recession, I faced a difficult job market and uncertainty about what came next. One mentor in particular, B.J. Hallock, who has since passed away, took me to lunch, helped with my job search, and prepared me for interviews. Her willingness to invest her time and experience in a young graduate during a challenging period left a lasting impression on me.
My education and training eventually took me far from North Georgia. I attended North Georgia College & State University, now the University of North Georgia, before earning my medical degree at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. VCOM’s mission emphasized training physicians for rural and underserved communities, a focus that aligned closely with my own interests. I later completed my urology residency in Detroit, Michigan, and practiced in South Carolina before making the decision to return to North Georgia.
Family was a large part of that decision. Some family members were getting older, while others were starting families of their own. Returning allowed me to be closer to them while also serving the communities that had invested in me throughout my life.
Today, I care for patients across the mountain communities of my youth. Access to specialty care can be limited in rural areas, and many patients would otherwise travel long distances for evaluation and treatment. Providing those services locally allows patients to receive diagnoses sooner, begin treatment earlier, and stay closer to home during their care.
That local access matters. Whether the diagnosis is prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, kidney stones, or another urologic condition, earlier evaluation often means more treatment options and fewer delays. It also allows patients to remain near their families and support systems while receiving care. Many of my patients are people I could easily have crossed paths with growing up—teachers, business owners, retirees, and families who have deep roots in these mountain communities.
When I reflect on the Vera Jackson Scholarship Foundation, what stands out most is its long-term investment in people. The support extended beyond a scholarship award. It included mentorship, encouragement, and relationships that continued long after graduation.
It is rewarding to reconnect with the foundation from a different perspective. Years ago, I was a scholarship recipient from Lumpkin County. Today, I practice medicine in rural North Georgia and care for many of the same communities that helped me along the way. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given, for the mentors who invested in me, and for the chance to return home and serve.