Jennifer Baniewicz teaches Advanced Placement US History and European History at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, IL. Besides being a member of AHA she also is an active member in the National Council of History Education in the Teacher Advisory Group. She graduated from Illinois State University (ISU) and received her MAT from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before becoming a teacher, Jennifer worked at the Newberry Library as an archives technician on the Pullman Company Archives. While at ISU, she completed a summer internship with the National Archives - Great Lakes Region branch, where she helped visitors use a variety of documents including the census records. She began to understand the power of connecting people to their personal histories but it was her work on the Pullman Archives that made her realize the importance of preservation and the impact primary sources can have on deepening one's understanding of history. Helping students interpret primary sources continues to play a significant role in her classroom.With over 25 years of classroom experience, she remains passionate about history education and the valuable role history educators play in preparing young people for the 21st century. She believes that by bringing the voices of higher education faculty and K-12 teachers together, history education programs will benefit all students.