2018-Kayla Rigdon

Jason Lee Willis
Sep 12, 2024
7 min read

"It's a Good Day to Be an Adult and an Eagle"

NOTE: As a teacher, there were moments when I’d toss out a “hard” question during discussion meant to stymie the kids seeking shameless attention. For the class of 2018, they didn’t look down. Nope, they all turned their heads toward…Kayla Rigdon. Kayla never flinched in these high pressure moments and would maintain fearless eye contact as I scanned the room. Even if she wasn’t certain, she’d confidently tackle the question while a roomful of peers breathed a sigh of relief that she took one for the team.

A Prescription for Success

Patient Identifier

Kayla Rigdon, daughter of Ken and Anita Rigdon, graduated from Maple River in 2018 with a major condition: she was a perfectionist. From what research shows, the condition is not hereditary. Her younger brother Jacob, for example, showed none of the signs or symptoms of Kayla’s affliction. This disease known as perfectionism often manifests itself as excellence in high school. In this patient’s case, the most noticeable signs could be seen in the fine arts, where she performed in theater, choir, band, and mock trial, which is a “gateway” activity for many students who succumb to perfectionism.

Notice Rigdon’s competitive reaction to her memories of mock trial: “Oh, I feel like there's a lot of random good moments. My most memorable was when the mock trial team made it to state for the first time. At first, I didn't even really know what mock trial was, and then I loved it! Then we made it to State, and that was an amazing experience. Twice! It was awesome. I had been in sports, but never had made it to State in anything except for mock trial.”

In the history of the Maple River mock trial program, many patients like Rigdon have caught a heightened perfectionism. The worst cases have actually resulted in the creation of real lawyers. For Rigdon, she graduated wanting to be a doctor. Even though Rigdon’s particular case of perfectionism did infect her musical talents, she managed to control these symptoms. During her time at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, she self-treated her perfectionism as it affected her musical talents. “I had a flute scholarship, so that was awesome getting to continue my music stuff even while doing pre-med classes. It was a good break to still have that art aspect amongst the science. I met some of my best friends there.”

Drug/Medication

A dose of humble pie.

Any undergrad student attempting to become a medical student often needs more than just drive and ability, which Rigdon recognized. “I feel like you can't really get into medical school without at least craving some sort of academic validation: being a perfectionist, type A.” Yet the self-described perfectionist that made countless trips to her English teacher’s desk to make sure her paper was 100% error free also feels she’s now different than the girl who graduated in 2018. “I'm okay not being perfect as much anymore.”

So what happened? The unstoppable force ran into the immovable object found at college. “I would say it was my freshman year of undergrad at St. Ben’s/St. John's. I was in a chemistry class and, man, the chemistry department at CSB/SJU is just a whole other beast. Unfortunately, I was randomly selected to be in the new honors chemistry class. They're like ‘first time doing it?’ and I was like ‘why me?” I hadn’t taken it since 10th grade. There were other people who had taken AP or college chemistry already, so that was eye-opening. I was like ‘Oh gosh, I am a very small fish in a large pond now.’ I did get through it–not perfectly. But we made it out alive.”

Strength

A regular dose of college with a big scoop of Covid-19.

It didn’t take Rigdon long to adapt to the rigors of college, and her case of perfectionism regressed for a while. “I loved St. Ben’s/St. Johns. It reminded me of the Mapleton community. When I toured, I noticed how friendly people were. I thought, ‘Do they pay people on tours?’ But people are actually like that. I just felt more at home there.” Yet Rigdon’s academic plans were suddenly changed by an unexpected force. “Covid kind of ruined studying abroad and stuff, but otherwise, I honestly overall had a great time. I even graduated a semester early.”

Amount

A double-dose of Humble Pie.

Obviously, any patient that finishes college a semester early DURING COVID still possesses latent perfectionism, which can lead to long-term issues especially with those entering the medical field. Luckily for Rigdon, her path to medical school hit an unexpected bump. “During my senior year of undergrad, I applied to medical school and I only applied to one and it was USUHS (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences), which is out on the east coast. It's through the Air Force, Army, Navy, or the Public Health Service. I really wanted to go in through the Air Force. I did get accepted and everything, but then they had something happen with the health waiver, so they told me that they needed me to reapply. It happened in the middle of June, when the next cycle of med school applications had opened. I had already told people I was going to med school, and now, I had to say: just kidding! This led to an unplanned gap year, but it was honestly worth it.”

Route

Apply to Your Roots.

Perfectionism can often manifest itself in a raging ego, but for Rigdon, her set-backs only led her to strengthening her character. While her perfectionism took hold long before she graduated high school, her journey into self-discovery began at a time most students lose their way: college. Instead of cutting ties with her family and embracing all the freedoms college can offer, Rigdon joined her mother on a unique journey. “My mom was adopted and we were able to connect with her family towards the end of my high school years. She did DNA testing, and she knew what her father's last name was and a little bit about him. She found her half-sister and after that, we were able to attend the adoptee Powwow. My mom became an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and my brother and I are descendants. Over the years we’ve gotten to know our family up at White Earth, and now we like to attend Powwows with them and get together whenever we can.”

Rigdon’s failure to get into the USUHS program not only gave her time to reflect on her goals but also led her to a new path at the UM-Duluth medical school program. “At Duluth, they decided to try doing a pathway model where students focus on a particular community that is underserved. At Duluth, the two pathways emphasized are rural and indigenous health. I was accepted through the Indigenous Health Pathway. Stepping into that part of myself has been probably one of my biggest changes since high school.”

Rigdon’s exploration of her maternal roots turned out to be rewarding albeit anxious at first. “I was very nervous at first. I think my mom obviously was super nervous, but they were so welcoming. I mean there've been a lot of others who have lost family members for a variety of reasons. It's pretty common in indigenous cultures just because of everything that's happened throughout history, but they were very open and just welcomed us right in.”

Frequency

Through her academic journey, Rigdon has made purposeful efforts to prioritize family and community in her decision making. She chose the University of Minnesota “because it's closer to home and the Indigenous Health Pathway offered me more connections to my culture, as well as having amazing faculty that created the course.” She also chose to do her gap year in Mankato because “I was missing family and high school friends so I wanted to take that time because it was basically the last year I was able to decide where I wanted to live for a while.”

How Much

Rigdon currently is in year two of medical school, so any remaining perfectionism will likely be cured with the rigors still waiting for her. In fact, her first year in medical school felt like starting over. “Beginning medical school felt like I was rewinding three or four years: the meeting-new-people thing and continuing my academic journey. It's also been great! The past year–it's flown by, and now it's like ‘Oh, only three left!’” If all goes according to plan, Rigdon plans on focusing on OBGYN.

Refills

Unlimited.

Placing priority on family and community has given Rigdon the strength to take anything her path can dish out, yet with her spare time, she continues to treat her perfectionism with sustained doses of humility, especially her summer months. Just as she explored her mother’s side of the family, she also embraces her father’s roots by returning to a local tradition: Celebrate Me Week Camp.

“My dad had been involved since 1990–the second year that they were running. He was involved throughout the first part of the 90s and then took a break before my brother and I were born. He then returned in 2013, the year after I attended camp in 2012. It's like a family. Doug and Connie are at our church, and my dad still does it, as well as my brother now. I think I do it not only for the family part, but I also just love the feeling when I'm there for the week. I like the people I get to meet, and it's just kind of different because it's a group of people who are volunteering (but paying to be there) and obviously happy to be there as well.”

Having avoided the pitfalls of CLASSIC PERFECTIONISM, Rigdon appears cured and is ready to tackle medical school and to stay connected with whatever community she finds herself in. Her advice for teens in high school now? “Ultimately you just need to do what you're happy doing and what brings you joy. Because the more that you pile on (and if you're not happy with it), the worse it is going to be. So that's my number one thing: just do what makes you happy!”