Dr. Yesenya Ridgway is a first-year family medicine resident at the University of Oklahoma’s College of Medicine. Despite thriving in her medical education journey, Ridgway still remembers the feelings of fear, uncertainty, and alienation associated with accessing healthcare while she was growing up.
Ridgway’s parents immigrated from Mexico and raised their children near Fort Worth, Texas. The family faced not only a language barrier, but a financial one.
Even with coverage through CHIP and Medicaid for Ridgway and her siblings, there were other compounding roadblocks that made obtaining consistent healthcare difficult.
Ridgway’s parents faced the challenges of finding providers that would accept their insurance, lacking time to take their children to appointments while working multiple jobs, navigating visits with limited educational and health literacy attainment, and finally, speaking a different language from most staff and providers.
“It was very foreign, unknown, and kind of scary sometimes to get healthcare, especially when something was going wrong, and we didn’t know why,” Ridgway explained. “We didn’t feel like we were a part of the process.”
Seeking healthcare provoked anxiety for the family. However, Ridgway recalls a distinct shift in her parents’ demeanor when the family started seeing a Latina pediatrician.
“It made it such a positive experience,” Ridgway said. “They felt more a part of the process, because she could explain to them why we were doing what we were doing. Some of the fear of not knowing what’s going on dissipated.”
Choosing a Destination
This experience stuck with Ridgway when it came time to consider her future after high school. She knew she had an interest in science but wasn’t sure if healthcare was the right avenue. To explore her options, Ridgway volunteered at a nonprofit run by Dr. Filippo Masciarelli, a family medicine physician in North Texas.
“I was able to see how much his patients truly appreciated the impact he had on their lives, particularly those that didn’t have access to healthcare,” Ridgway said. “I wanted to go into family medicine based on his example.”
Ridgway had her sights set on a meaningful goal, but preparing financially for her future still presented an obstacle. The Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP), an undergraduate pipeline program that provides economically disadvantaged students in Texas with financial support and guaranteed acceptance into a medical school, could offer the support she needed, but acceptance into the program was highly competitive.
After submitting several essays and completing a formal interview, Ridgway was accepted into the program. Her path forward was coming more clearly into view.
Through JAMP, Ridgway’s received a scholarship for MCAT prep and the opportunity to interview with several medical schools in Texas. Her strongest interview happened to be with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Ridgway initially planned to attend medical school close to home in North Texas. However, after hearing fellow JAMP members praise the prestige and quality of Baylor’s program, she decided on a whim to rank Baylor as her first choice.
Ridgway can recall the moment she was accepted to Baylor — the happy tears and the excitement of celebrating with her now-husband.
“Growing up with a lot of adversity, I kind of always expect things to go wrong and to be out of my control,” Ridgway said. “For my hard work to be paying off was still kind of a shock for me.”
An Unexpected Detour
Ridgway was ready for the next step in her medical journey and moved to Houston with her husband.
However, during her time in medical school, Ridgway began to experience health issues and was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease.
Managing her health with the demands of medical school put immense strain on Ridgway. After her third year of school, Ridgway decided to put her health first and take a break.
For someone as driven as Ridgway, however, a gap year also presented an opportunity. While away from the MD program, Ridgway earned a master's degree in public health.
“The social determinants of health were something that really interested me,” Ridgway said. “Especially knowing that I wanted to work with underserved populations because those are the people I really identify with.”
Even with the knowledge she would be receiving her MPH, Ridgway felt apprehensive about taking time away from medical school.
“I felt like I wasn’t doing so well and progressing as I would like,” Ridgway explained.
However, the experience brought an unexpected discovery and important lesson for Ridgway.
“I came back and was doing better than ever. I was breezing through my rotations and was receiving such positive feedback,” Ridgway said. “Taking care of yourself is not a barrier to being successful. It’s actually something you should be doing.”
The Road Ahead
After graduating from the MD program, Ridgway and her husband joyfully welcomed the birth of their baby boy. A few months later, in September 2024, she began her residency at OU.
Following residency, Ridgway plans to move back to Texas while her son is young, but she is open to the possibility of moving back to Oklahoma in the future.
“It’s a big change from Houston,” Ridgway said. “The traffic is nicer, and I feel like I get the best of both worlds. I can see the stars at night, and I can always go into the city whenever I want.”
For now, though, much of Ridgway’s heart still resides in Texas.
“They are very attached to me, and I to them,” Ridgway said of her family. “Having to move away was really hard, ... but my parents always knew that it was going to be for the betterment of my future and eventually the family too.”
As the eldest of five siblings, Ridgway was the first in her family to venture into a number of academic pursuits.
“They’re beyond proud and happy for me, but I will say that it comes with its own challenges too,” Ridgway said. “It took a really long time for them to understand how much sacrifice and how much time away I would have.”
Despite periods of adjustment, Ridgway’s parents are full of pride.
“Even when I graduated high school and then college, they would be so emotional, because I’m obtaining the education they were never able to get,” Ridgway said.
Even with multiple degrees that unequivocally corroborate her success, Ridgway often needs to remind herself that she’s earned those accomplishments.
“Sometimes it’s easy to get into this mindset that something will always go wrong or that you’re not worthy,” Ridgway said. “But the success you’ve obtained is not an illusion, you’ve earned it.”