For many international students who attend the University of Delaware, it's the first time they've stepped foot in the United States.

Masoumeh "Masi" Sadeghinejad traveled to the U.S. from Iran.

"I came to UD because I wanted to be challenged," she said. "I wanted an opportunity to improve my English, and the U.S. is a more progressive country in science."

She began her journey at UD in 2022, pursuing a master's in exercise physiology. In 2024, she switched to a Ph.D. in medical sciences because it better fit her career aspirations.

"Coming here, I faced initial challenges, including language barriers. It's very different from Iran," Sadeghinejad said. "I found support in the Department of Medicine and Molecular Sciences."

Sadeghinejad is not alone. More than half of the graduate students in the Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences (MMSC) in UD's College of Health Sciences hail from around the world, including India, China, Turkey, Ecuador, Iran, Colombia, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

MMSC Professor and Department Chair Esther Biswas-Fiss attributes the department's diversity to students' dedication to their professional goals.

"Our international students are very career-focused," Biswas-Fiss said. "Biotech and medical laboratory sciences are very defined career paths and fields that are present in their home countries. Maybe they'll be the person who creates a vaccine or a gene therapy, or they'll diagnose someone with cancer early so they can be treated. Everyone has that sense of purpose."

But it's more than that. It's about the department's diverse culture as well.