An Iranian-American considers the impossibility of staying grounded amid war and oppression

Woman grandmaster in chess Dorsa Derakhshani came to the U.S. from Iran to attend St. Louis University. Now a Mizzou medical student, St. Louis Chess Club instructor and U.S. citizen, Derakhshani is watching the war from her Missouri home, unable to communicate with her family and friends still living in Iran. She shares how growing up under the Iranian regime influences her perspective on the conflict, the need for greater compassion for the plight of the Iranian people — including those in the Iranian diaspora — and her hopes for the future.