Upper School World Languages teacher, Director of Global Partnerships & Programming and GIP Co-Director Ann Diederich will bid the Poly community farewell at the end of this school year. Sixteen years ago, Diederich began working at Poly in the Upper School Admissions Department, and later she joined Upper School History teacher and GIP Co-Director Rick Caragher to create and lead the Global Initiatives Program in 2013. As Co-Director of the program, Diederich has invited numerous speakers – from political refugees to acclaimed scientists to political leaders – to the Poly community. “One of my favorite experiences was bringing in Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen in 2017 and having sophomores interview [him]. That developed leadership and this memory of connecting amazing writers to students and to other faculty members is something that I’ll never forget,” Diederich shared. Diederich has also taught French, Spanish, and history courses in her time at Poly.“ My students are what I’ll miss most,” she said. “Not necessarily just students I’ve had in the classroom, but also students I’ve worked with on projects in Narrative 4 or the United Nations Association.” This school year, Diederich was instrumental in organizing different events that featured Cambodian genocide survivor and artist Arn Chorn Pond; filmmaker, speaker and writer Jennifer Hall Lee, and Director of the USC Dornsife Armenian Institute Shushan Karepetian. “I think the relationships between teachers and students are what makes Poly special. I think magic happens in the classroom, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the classroom, but I’ve also enjoyed these relationships with students outside of class. We end up being able to dream big,” Diederich said.