Working hard to graduate from college is normal for most students, but some work twice as hard only to find it isn't enough.

The H.E.L.P. (Higher Education for Learning Problems) Program tries to teach students how to compensate for learning problems.

One part of this program is Medical H.E.L.P. which was designed for medical students with learning disabilities.

Jack Trainer, Huntington medical student, found himself in this situation. He was a 4.0 high school student.

He graduated and continued his education at Miami Dade Community College in Florida.

He said he transferred to Stetson University, also in Florida, where he began to notice a drop in his grades.

"I played baseball in college and we had to travel for games," Trainer said. "My grades began to fall when I would miss the lectures. I was still working hard, but my grades were not showing my work."

Trainer returned to huntington and was tested for a learning disability by Dr. Barbara Guyer, coordinator of the H.E.L.P. Program.

Trainer said he found he was dyslexic and returned to school in Florida.

"I did not get any help at school and my grades were still poor," Trainer said.

"My teachers and advisers believed I was not working and was getting into the college scene."

He returned to Marshall in 1989 and began medical school.

Still struggling, he went back to Marshall's undergraduate program and earned his degree. Trainer returned to medical school in 1991.

"The medical school has a decelerated program for learning disabled students," Trainer said.

:"This program put my first two years of medical school into three years.

"The program taught me that dyslexia is not something you cure, it is something you compensate for. It taught me skills like mapping, reading comprehension and test analysis."

He said once he learned to compensate for his learning disability it made his struggle a little easier.

"I have nothing but appreciation and gratefulness for the program," Trainer said.

"I am glad there are people around who care and love the people and the work they do.

"The people in the program use a lot of energy and invest a lot of time into the kids they tutor and that is good to see.

"If it weren't for them, I would not be where I am today so I owe them a lot," Trainer said.

Trainer is a fourth year medical student. He will finish school in a week and a half.

Trainer's residency will begin in July of 1997.

"I am looking for a residency in sports medicine. I think I could work in professional baseball because of my background.

"I would hope that we could all work together to give something back to the community.

"Working as role models for children would be a way of doing this," Trainer said.

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