Xavia Taylor, second-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine student at PCOM South Georgia, recently received the Trustee Scholarship awarded by Colquitt Regional Medical Center
(CRMC).
The scholarship is awarded to one student each year who is planning to enter the healthcare field. Taylor said that receiving this scholarship from CRMC not only helps pay for her education, but also has sentimental value.
“CRMC holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “My great-grandfather, Verdell Blount, sat on the board years ago before he passed away, and my great-grandmother is an active volunteer at CRMC.”
Along with the application, Taylor submitted a personal statement that tells the story of her journey to the field of health care. Her essay focused on the impact that her great-grandfather had on her dream to pursue medicine.
After working in construction for a number of years, Blount was diagnosed with mesothelioma. In her scholarship application, Taylor wrote:
“The last memory I have of my great-grandfather is watching him sit on the floor with my two-year-old sister. He was so present with her that he seemed to be removed from all the pain and negative imagery associated with such a debilitating disease. In that moment, I saw the bigger picture. I experienced peace for the first time; I knew my great-grandfather was comfortable and lived a fulfilling life. I also experienced both the promise and the limits of medicine. In a time when medicine’s limits were seemingly inevitable, however, it was medicine’s promise that strengthened the hope in me and reminded me that I could help broaden the reach of its impact and expand its limits.”
Justina Mason, Assistant Director of Student Affairs, describes Taylor as a fighter. “She’s doing this not just for herself,” Mason said. “She is doing this for her community and people that look like her. Some of the work has been challenging for her, but she has worked so hard to show that she belongs here. I know she will make such a difference in Moultrie.”
Taylor is a Moultrie native and hopes to practice pediatrics or OB/GYN in Moultrie after completing medical school, but she is still keeping her mind open to other specialties. She is the great-granddaughter of Verdell and Dorothy Blount and daughter of Chiquita Taylor and Earnest Williams.
In 2019, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing PCOM South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, PCOM South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. PCOM is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, PCOM South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
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