Change, soul searching and the quest for peace and well-being. It’s been a year when many people have looked at their lives, upended the bucket list and ventured anew along the path of lifelong learning. The American Swedish Institute has met them along the way.
We’re all lifelong learners with a natural curiosity. It’s part of being human. Have you always wanted to learn a language? Are you ready to (finally) knit? What about sharing a new Nordic cultural experience with the grandchildren? Check and double check; ASI offers the gamut.
Lifelong learning, whether for personal or professional reasons, generally means the pursuit of knowledge that is “ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated.” It could stem from curiosity or a desire to stay relevant in the workplace or to meet new people. We grow thanks to our ability to learn.
ASI is a haven for those who live to learn and learn to live. ASI volunteer Susan (Sue) Droegemueller is a wonderful example of someone with advanced careers and many self-nurtured interests. She has an B.A. degree in English and a graduate degree in human resource training. She finished law school at age 51 and was a law clerk for a judge. She also earned a Minnesota teaching license for English and usually substitute teaches.
Despite such an impressive background, Sue emphasized that she wasn’t sharing all this for accolades. “My whole life since childhood has been about learning. Life is so interesting.
I like the Nordic cultures and lived in Norway as an undergraduate long before study abroad was popular (and was recently on the Norway House board). This year, I’ve probably read over 100 books and am studying to recapture my Norwegian. I’m also very much involved in art, so I take craft classes. This makes me happy, but it’s also a way to share.”
Regarding ASI, Sue said, “My volunteer work has been mostly as a tour guide — the breadth of the exhibitions is amazing. The exhibition Where the Children Sleep (about Syrian refugees), for example, was an opportunity to learn something, teach others and integrate my interests — since I have worked pro bono on immigration and asylum cases. I also did a lot of tours for The Vikings Begin exhibition. I made a historically accurate costume and went to all the related programs.”
ASI also attracts lifelong learners at the leadership level. As a member of the ASI Board, Carline Bengtsson is an example of how loss, leaving a job and tapping her lifelong passion for cooking at age 58 led to a second career. Born in Jamaica and raised in St. Paul, Carline married Swedish-born Lars. When he died nine years ago, she contemplated change. While shifting into retirement after 26 years at Medtronic as an engineering program manager, she was able to convert employee points to donate to Feed My Starving Children but was shocked at the minimal impact. She thought she could do more.
After talking to friends who knew what a great cook and host she was, she self-published a cookbook called Carline’s Fork and Cork: Simply Delish! This led to her starting Dine4Dinners (dine4dinners.org). Recently profiled in the Star Tribune, Carline now caters private meals in other people’s homes and donates 25% of the proceeds to hunger relief. She draws on childhood curries and food from her travels, including Swedish cuisine. After the pandemic hit, her idea fit the times. Since launching last summer, she has raised funds for the equivalent of more than 57,000 meals.
“This was my moment where I said, this is what I need to do — use my cooking and give back in this way,” she told the Star Tribune. While business is booming, profits are still minimal. But it’s worth it, she says. “It benefits the foodies, but it’s also about paying it forward to those in need.”