LAURA ARMSTRONG

STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI PHOTOS SUBMITTED

On her first trip to Rapid City, Laura Armstrong knew she would one day call the city her home.

Laura grew up near the beaches of South Florida but always loved the peacefulness of the woods.

“I love the woods. I don’t know what it is, but I am just drawn to them.” Laura, along with her husband, attorney Scott Armstrong, would often escape the craziness of Florida and visit places such as North Carolina, Colorado, Montana, and Utah. “I finally told my husband that it would be cheaper to move.”

That is exactly what they did in 1996 after visiting the Black Hills.

“When I came here there was this epiphany that I was home – that this is where I am meant to be,” Laura said.

Things quickly began to fall into place.

A family member living in the area messaged the couple about a log home for sale. Scott flew to Rapid City and with an OK from Laura they bought the house –the same one they still live in today. Scott moved to the Black Hills in October while Laura remained in Florida to finish out her dual bachelor’s degrees. Even arriving in a December snowstorm did not deter the Florida native.

“I know in my heart this is where I am supposed to be. I love the sense of community. I love the mix of the old and new. I wanted to raise my kids out here with the four seasons. No place is perfect. But this place is perfect for us.”

The couple raised their twin daughters, Olivia and Abigail, now 22 and seniors at Dakota State University, spending most of

their time outdoors. “We are outside yearround whether it is 4 degrees, 40 degrees or 104 degrees. We are out enjoying it. It is the Black Hills.”

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication disorders and her master’s in speech language pathology, Laura has worked in a variety of capacities throughout the community. She owns her own clinic and contracts her services with organizations such as Black Hills Works and its Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center, Birth to Three program, and the Rapid City Area Schools.

While her girls were young, Laura volunteered everything from the PTA to leading the Black Hills Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. “Our family has always been very involved in the community whether it was the church, library, humane society, or the PTA. I always think it is important to be involved.”

Laura took her community service a step further in 2017 when she ran for the Ward 5 seat on the Rapid City Common Council. Her victory was historic. For the first time in Rapid City history there was a 50/50 gender split on the common council. She is finishing her second term on the Council, and remains the only woman.

One of Laura’s proudest endeavors on Council was helping form the Youth City Council, a diverse section of the city’s youth created as a channel for open communication between the youth and the Common Council “They are going on four years strong. The first round of kids is voting now. They are going to be our next leaders. It really gives you faith in what’s coming up.”

Laura said she has learned so much from her time on the council from her fellow council members, city staff, and community members.

“I want to surround myself with people that are smarter than me so they can give me perspective, insights, facts, and data so I can make an educated decision. We have so much to learn from one another. That’s what I love – that sense of community, and I really try to model that.”