KSU Lacrosse Duo Find Success In The Classroom And On The Field

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

Mar 23, 2021

KSU Lacrosse Duo Find Success in the Classroom and on the Field

Marissa Gore, left, and Siena Gore

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Mar 23, 2021) — Siena Gore says that there are a number of similarities between lacrosse and engineering,
most notably time management and the ability to make sacrifices.

An industrial engineering technology student and a member of the Kennesaw State women’s lacrosse team, she happens to have first-hand experience with both. So does her twin sister, Marissa
Gore, her lacrosse teammate and electrical engineering student in the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SPCEET).

“We don’t have a lot of free time due to our commitments to lacrosse and engineering,
but we know that those sacrifices are going to pay off in the long run,” Siena said.

So far, their sacrifices have paid dividends. Between waking up before sunrise for
early morning workouts and shuttling down to KSU’s Marietta Campus every day for class,
the sisters have seen a considerable amount of success both on and off the field.
Siena, who was named 2019 ASUN Player of the Year, has also received ASUN All-Academic
Team honors while earning a 4.0 GPA. Marissa was awarded the SPCEET Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award while also posting a 4.0 GPA, and was previously recognized as a member of the ASUN
All-Conference and All-Academic teams.

Both Siena and Marissa credit their uncle, an aerospace engineer, for inspiring them
to pursue engineering degrees. He would often show his work to the twins and speak
about the breadth of the field overall. The sisters ultimately committed to Kennesaw
State during their sophomore year at Chattahoochee High School after learning about
the addition of engineering programs through the 2015 consolidation of KSU and Southern
Polytechnic State University.

“We pretty much knew the minute we stepped on campus that this was exactly where we
wanted to be,” Siena said.

Marissa, who settled on electrical engineering on the advice of her uncle, said that
her lacrosse schedule often makes it difficult to participate in extracurriculars
on the Marietta Campus, but she was able to secure an internship with Lockheed Martin.
There, she explored her interest in avionics – the electrical systems that control
aircraft – and gained experience working on Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
airplane.

Following the internship, she was offered a full-time position with the aerospace
giant, which she has accepted.

Siena, who interned in Northrop Grumman’s space systems division, said she chose industrial
engineering technology since it combined her interests in logistics, manufacturing
and project management. At Northrop Grumman, she gained experience working on the
harness components of spacecrafts, eventually coming face to face with a Cygnus cargo
spacecraft prior to its launch.

“It was an unbelievable experience getting to work in a place like that, and it really
cemented the fact that I was in the right field,” she said. “I could really envision
myself making a career in the aerospace industry.”

While Marissa preps to enter the industry upon graduation, Siena will be taking advantage
of an extra year of eligibility granted to student-athletes as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic to start a graduate degree in systems engineering.

“Overall, our KSU experience has been nothing short of amazing,” Siena said. “I get
to attend a great school, receive a great degree and play my favorite sport with my
best friend. It’s a dream come true for us, and we’re so grateful that KSU gave us
this opportunity.”

– Travis Highfield

Photos by Jason Getz

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.