By MONIQUE CHAN
Staff writer
This fall, world traveler Ann Diederich joins the Poly community as Upper School Admissions Associate Director and Spanish teacher. Originally born in Pittsburgh, Diederich moved to Melbourne, Australia at the age of ten and returned to the United States her sophomore year of high school to attend the prestigious Milton Academy in Massachusetts.
Prior to her new position at Poly, Diederich held the position of World Languages Department Chair at the Packer Collegiate School in Brooklyn, where she taught French and Spanish. Perhaps Diederich’s young globetrotting ways cultivated her current love of both travel and languages, with her favorite traveling experience being a trip to Vietnam. She hopes to return to Asia, particularly to the countries of Laos and Cambodia, and also hopes to visit South America and Africa.
For Diederich, moving to Southern California was in some way a return to her roots. During the 1960s her parents lived in Arcadia, where her mother was a teacher at Arcadia High School. Diederich also simply desired a change of pace, which is why she decided to venture into admissions, a previously unexplored area of leadership for her.
She is now teaching two sections of Spanish and is on the Global Initiative Committee, a natural position for someone who has traveled so extensively around the globe. Her involvement in the Poly community also extends past the pure academic world. An outdoor enthusiast, Diederich is excited about the upcoming sea kayak outdoor education trip with the sophomores, and is even considering chaperoning the senior Kern River trip at the end of the year. When asked what her favorite thing at Poly is, she enthusiastically replied, “Poly Spirit!” Spirit squad, move over – there’s a new Poly cheerleader in town!
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