Board Spotlight: Laura Sigman
NatureBridge board member Laura Sigman’s goal has always been to merge her two passions: the environment and children’s health. As a physician in Washington, DC, Laura knows all about the importance of the physical and mental health benefits of spending time outdoors. That’s why she has been on the board for our Mid-Atlantic Region (MARE) campus located in Prince William Forest for the last six years. But her connection to NatureBridge didn’t begin there.
“I learned about NatureBridge from a childhood friend who moved from LA to DC,” Laura reflects. “Coincidentally, she and I went to summer camp in Northern Minnesota together as kids, and later were there as counselors. Having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, it was at camp that I developed a deep love of the outdoors and an interest in environmental science and education.”
Now, as a pediatrician in a high-volume children’s emergency department, Laura sees the many challenges that families face around physical and mental health, access to resources and structural inequities. That’s also why being involved with NatureBridge is so important to her. Laura states, “Ensuring that more children from the diverse populations I serve around the DC area have access to programs that allow them to experience the outdoors is a main goal of my involvement with NatureBridge.”
Getting involved in NatureBridge was a perfect way to bring together my interests in the environment and children’s health and well-being.Laura Sigman, Physician and MARE Board Member
Ultimately, Laura's goal is to increase the impact of NatureBridge in the Washington, DC area. “Living in the nation’s capital, which has vibrant and diverse communities as well as incredible green space, including a ‘hidden gem’ of a national park that runs through the city, and beautiful areas like Prince William Forest and Shenandoah National Park within 1-2 hours’ drive, I think the region is uniquely poised to expand the impact of NatureBridge,” she notes. But it’s not just about expanding our reach. Laura knows that NatureBridge’s programs make a lasting impact on students of all backgrounds and is critical to the future. “Ultimately," Laura says, "I’d like to see MARE develop programs that provide multiple touch points through different stages of childhood, leading to more diversity in outdoor enthusiasts and environmental education.”
I’d like to see MARE develop programs that provide multiple touch points through different stages of childhood, leading to more diversity in outdoor enthusiasts and environmental education.Laura Sigman, Physician and MARE Board Member
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."