Student Credits Pierce Learning Lab for Award

Marc Shomer had never been a great student. All through his educational career, first at Chandler Elementary School, then Van Nuys Middle School and Van Nuys High School, Shomer’s report cards were marked with mostly Cs and Ds, with an occasional A in physical education.

“I never really grasped the concept of spelling and that sort of thing, but I was always pretty good in science and math,” Shomer recalled.

In the fall of 1988, the Encino resident enrolled at Pierce College where during his third year--while he was teaching himself biology and chemistry--an English tutor suggested that Shomer get tested for a learning disability.

At Pierce’s learning lab, Shomer was diagnosed as having both dyslexia and dysgraphia, a writing impairment. At about the same time, Shomer applied to UCLA to pursue undergraduate work in neuroscience. At first, he was rejected. But after an appeal explaining that he had just been diagnosed with two learning disabilities, UCLA accepted Shomer.

Tonight, Shomer will be one of four students at UCLA to be awarded the College of Letters and Sciences Award, the highest award an undergraduate student can receive. Currently, Shomer is finishing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in neuroscience through a special scholar program at UCLA.

Shomer said he owes much of his academic success to the education he received at Pierce College.

“There are great professors there and they are there to teach, and teach you. . . . You can really decide what it is you want to do (at Pierce),” Shomer said.

Although UCLA has offered him an excellent education, Shomer said he received more personal attention at Pierce.

“One thing that is so important is that anybody, especially schoolteachers . . . be aware of their students. . . . Experts should be called upon to look at all these (children who may have learning disabilities),” Shomer said.