Ninth-grade social studies teacher Megan Zhang previously worked in Cambridge and went to Maine with her partner over the summer. She hopes her students will challenge themselves and persevere throughout the school year.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Where are you originally from?
I’m originally from Queens in New York City. I lived in the Chinatown area of Queens. It was great living there. There was a lot of culture. A lot of really good Chinese food, and I’m Chinese, so that’s really important to me. I really loved living in Queens and New York in general. Brookline feels a little quieter. I like the vibe of Massachusetts a lot. There’s enough stuff to do where I’m not bored, but it’s not too overwhelming.

Do you have a favorite hobby?
My biggest hobby right now is dance. I like doing contemporary and ballet, and it’s just a fun little thing to take my mind off work. I dance around the Boston area. There’s a lot of cool open classes to go to.

What was something fun you remember from high school?
When I was in high school, I did orchestra, and it was a really big part of my life. One of my favorite high school memories was going to youth orchestra concerts and being with all my friends and music.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m just excited to keep on building relationships with my students, keep on teaching the really interesting world history content, and just enjoying my first year here.