Gladstone senior Lauren Sundquist (second from right) signs her letter of intent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on April 23, 2025 at Gladstone High School. (Adam Hinch/Daily Press)
GLADSTONE — Gladstone senior Lauren Sundquist has chosen the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by signing her letter of intent on Wednesday.
Sundquist will play softball and study in the engineering department for aviation. MIT has been consistently ranked as one of the top engineering schools in the US by the US News and World Report for many years.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Sundquist said. ” Obviously MIT is well known for its academics but also has a good athletics department and I’m super excited to have a family that loves learning and playing competitively.”
Sundquist chose the engineering and aviation field because of her interest in drones and planes. MIT’s AeroAstro has played a big role in shaping the aviation industry, from developing early flight technologies and contribution to the space programs. Many graduates of MIT’s Aeronautics and Astronautics go on to successful careers in the aviation field.
As a softball player Sundquist was named All-State utility player during her freshman season and All-State catcher her junior season.
“I’m looking forward to playing there,” Sundquist said. “When I visited the campus I absolutely loved the coaches and teammates and it felt just like family.”
Her former coach Rick Pepin noted that Sundquist is a great athlete. But she’s an even better person.
“She has a ton of character and is a role model for all the young girls in our area who inspire to play softball,” Pepin said. “She has the stats, the hits and home runs but she also has the academics to back it all up and we are so proud of her and look forward to seeing all she accomplishes.”