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

KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 23, 2021

Marissa and Siena Gore — Marissa Gore, left, and Siena Gore

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

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

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