How chess empowered Dorsa Derakhshani to become an advocate for freedom of expression

When Dorsa Derakhshani was banned from playing for Iran's national chess team because she didn't wear a hijab at an international tournament, she left the country to attend St. Louis University. Now a Mizzou medical student, St. Louis Chess Club instructor and U.S. citizen, Derakhshani is passionate about being an advocate for freedom of speech and expression — and for making room for women to be in traditionally men’s spaces. She reflects on what it meant to leave her home country for the U.S., the parallels between the competitive chess scene and medical school, and how the Trump administration’s new travel ban may affect people like her and her family.