Karalee Wong Nakatsuka, MA. Ed., has taught middle school US History students since 1990. She is passionate about using technology to engage students, focusing on building community in her classroom, and helping students to see themselves in the story of America as they develop into empathetic and informed critical thinkers and citizens who make a difference in the world. Last summer, Karalee was recognized in a Teacher Tribute by the Ford's Theatre Society at their Annual GALA; as an honoree she was invited to the White House where she and her fellow tribute teachers had the honor of meeting President and Dr. Biden. She was named the 2023 California Council for the Social Studies Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year.  In 2019 she was recognized as the Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year for California and was a top 10 finalist for the national award. She served on the Educating for American Democracy Teacher Leadership Taskforce, the iCivics Educator Network, and the Gilder Lehrman Teacher Advisory Council. Karalee was honored to be featured in The New York Times' August 2022 multimedia and newspaper piece "What's Actually Being Taught About U.S. History" and in Time Magazine’s September 2021 issue “From Teachers to Custodians, Meet the Educators Who Saved a Pandemic School Year.” When she’s not teaching, she can be found enjoying history vacations with her family, collaborating with fellow history teachers locally and across the country, attending and presenting at conferences, and hanging out with her fellow social studies teachers somewhere on social media. She is the coauthor of "Bring History and Civics to Life, Lessons  & Strategies to Cultivate Informed, Empathetic Citizens" published by ISTE.