How I got that job: Ingrid Nyholm-Lange

Age: 41

Home: St. Paul

Occupation: Youth and family programs coordinator at the American Swedish Institute.

Background: Bachelor's degree in history and Scandinavian studies from Gustavus Adolphus College, master's degree from Eastern Illinois University in historical administration.

Salary: Industry range: $25,000 to $45,000.

What is the American Swedish Institute? It's a museum and a cultural institution. We [are housed in a] fantastic historic mansion, which in its own right is a great treasure. It was completed in 1908, so we talk a lot about building art that you can find here in the mansion. We're also a cultural institution, so we talk a lot about the Swedish-American culture, modern Sweden, and we look at the big overarching themes of art, craft and migration.

What do you do at the institute? I make sure that when family and youth come to visit the museum that they see themselves here, that they are welcome and that there are fun things for them to do. I make sure that we have children's components in all of our exhibits. I run preschool programs. I also do the outreach .... we bring schools into the museum for tours and programs. We also take the institute out to schools in the seven-county metro area.

You've been here for two years. What did you do before that? I've been a museum educator for 15 years. I worked for the Minnesota Children's Museum and I've also taught early childhood music and movement.

You seem to have worked with children a lot. Was that planned? I think one of the greatest things we can do for kids is really broaden their horizons beyond the classrooms, and museums are one of the best ways of doing that. In college I loved history, but I didn't like the dates. I think I naturally gravitated toward museums. Even when I was little, I remember going to museums and being enthralled.

How do you come up with the ideas for the children's activities? I have two boys myself, so that certainly helps. But museums are fun places to be. Looking at art and talking about history and culture is fun. Museums are very creative places and we work with very creative staff.

Do you feel as if your job is perfectly suited to you? I feel like this job is perfect. I started [my career] as a curator. Although it was interesting, it wasn't what I was most passionate about. I found that I kept on looking at objects and going, "Gosh, wouldn't it be fun if we could bring in this type of activity for families and kids?" It was really a natural and easy progression for me to move into education.