Ellora Martinez, a young and talented baker, has captured hearts with her impressive baking skills and inspiring story of resilience. Her journey on the Kids Baking Championship and her battle with a brain tumor serve as a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of pursuing one's passions, even in the face of adversity. Ellora has taught us that we have the power to overcome any challenge presented in our lives and that we can achieve greatness if we focus on our dreams.
A Budding Baker's Passion
Ever since she was little, Ellora remembers spending hours watching baking shows, having a particular interest in the Kids Baking Championship. The Kids Baking Championship is a baking event that brings young bakers from all over America to come together and work with various ingredients to make unique desserts for a chance to win $25,000. Throughout the pandemic, she developed a hobby for baking to pass the time. This passion led her to compete on Season 10 of the Kids Baking Championship, held in Knoxville, Tennessee. In this months-long competition, Season 10 was held in Knoxville, Tennessee where bakers were presented with many challenges, ranging from using their creativity to create a visually-pleasing milkshake to paying attention to details when making a cake that had a surprise of zebra stripes inside. Ellora, a nine-year-old girl who attends Travis Ranch Elementary School, impressed judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman with her creativity and attention to detail, baking impressive desserts. Ellora is a nine year old girl who attends Travis Ranch Elementary School, and not only has a love for baking, but also loves art, animals and writing. Her cute appearance and mature anecdotes captured the hearts of all who watched, and she baked impressive desserts for the judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman. With only a few days notice, Ellora was off to Knoxville to compete in an environment where she could further enhance and discover some more of her baking skills.
Facing Challenges on and off the Screen
There were many challenges presented during the competition, such as “the pressure of being under a time limit, learning time management, and figuring out how to work with ingredients and food [she] has never worked with before.” However, these were not the only challenges Ellora faced throughout the competition. While competing on the show, Ellora faced a significant health challenge that she bravely kept hidden. Back in 2020, Ellora started getting unusual symptoms such as intensely painful headaches and nosebleeds multiple times a week. To try and find what was wrong, Ellora was taken to a pediatrician, but they didn’t think there was anything they could do. As her condition progressed, Ellora started gaining unexplainable weight and stopped growing. Finally, her mom, Mina Gill-Martinez, got her to an endocrinologist, and he agreed that something was wrong, but couldn’t figure out what. Mrs. Gill-Martinez further explained how they ran many tests in 2020, but the MRI was not able to find the presumed tumor. However, this was when Ellora was still auditioning for the show and was a finalist.
Many have noticed Ellora’s intense focus on the show, and this was a result of her mom practicing breathing techniques with her to help with relaxation, focus and putting things into perspective. A reason this was emphasized is because “the tumor was also producing an excessive amount of cortisol, which includes symptoms such as stress and anxiety.” With this focus on breathing techniques, she was able to progress with her determination to not let anything stop her from trying her hardest. Despite feeling unwell, she persevered, showcasing her dedication and passion for baking.
A Victorious Recovery
Two weeks later after the show ended, they flew back to the NIH in Maryland and the neurosurgeons were able to successfully remove the tumor on her pituitary gland as well as a cyst. Mrs. Gill-Martinez states “Ellora is in recovery now and doing well. The successful removal of the tumor marked a turning point in Ellora's health journey. Through all of the hardships she has gone through, Ellora created a vision board to find more positivity in her life and to keep her motivated for everything that she wants to achieve.
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Inspiration and Gratitude
In the competition, Ellora found Duff and Valerie to be role models to her, as their caring personalities and love for helping people grow in their baking abilities took great admiration in her. Even though she had the tumor during the competition, she chose not to tell the producers or judges her circumstances because she wanted her baking skills to be judged honestly rather than by any pity. This young nine year old has taught the world that it is important to have a passion to be able to achieve anything. Your dreams will guide you in finding success wherever you go. During rough times in her life, she found baking as something that brings joy and a sense of stability and reassurance in her life, and she used this to find life-changing experiences. She is very grateful for this experience, as she had to accomplish a lot in order to get into the finale, and she kept her enthusiasm throughout the entirety of the show.
A Role Model for Young Bakers
Ellora not only impressed the judges, but impressed and inspired an entire generation of young bakers. Ellora is loved by everyone and we are so proud of her for her success. More importantly, we are happy to know that she is doing better.
The broader context of challenges and overcoming obstacles: Lessons from Global Poverty and Practice Graduates
Ellora's story resonates with the experiences of many who face significant challenges in their lives. As this year’s Global Poverty and Practice (GPP) graduates stepped onto the stage to receive their diplomas, they carried with them a hard-earned insight: the injustices they spent years studying weren’t distant or theoretical - they were urgent and unfolding all around them. “In every case, you learned to read and think beyond the headlines of mainstream media, to consider the histories of these conflicts and the power dynamics that shaped them, and to center the history of the human beings affected,” Shehabuddin said. This year’s graduating class includes over 30 students representing more than 20 majors. With a family history rooted in public service, Spikes spent much of her early life engaged in similar work. She pursued a career in law, working as a paralegal and office manager at the law firm of Haddad and Sherwin. “I entered this minor with an idealistic desire to serve, as I believed that by helping those who are suffering, I’d be fulfilling some noble mission,” Spikes said. “I’ve come to realize that service without connection can become charity. She volunteered with Old Skool Cafe, a San Francisco restaurant run by formerly incarcerated, foster care, and at-risk youth. “That’s what love looks like when it is rooted in justice,” Spikes said. “In this work, compassion isn’t a gesture of service, it’s a radical act of kinship grounded in the belief that there is no us and them, only us. Similarly, the minor challenged student speaker and civil engineering major Anahita Banerjee to dig deeper in her search for solutions to global inequality. As a GPP minor, she said her daily assignments challenged her to confront global issues by asking tough questions like, “Why is there a housing crisis in the Bay Area? She added that simple answers-blaming things like lack of wealth, infrastructure, or education-wouldn’t cut it. “Yet, I would still call these B+ answers at best, because our homework is incomplete if it remains passive,” Banerjee said. “Some of us may continue working with nonprofits, while others will work as doctors, teachers, or social workers,” Banerjee said. The ceremony concluded with a speech from GPP alumnus Jamal Khan. He graduated as part of the second cohort of GPP students in 2009, and went on to attend Harvard Law School. Since then, he has held positions in both the federal government and politics, including the Obama White House and Kamala Harris’s Senate campaign. “No matter the vantage point from your organization or your role, if you find yourself feeling uncertain or confused, the most important thing you can do with regard to those you’re trying to help, is to remember humanity,” Khan said. “Conågratulations, I wish you all the best. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Doll as our new lecturer for GPP 115. This course serves students all across campus, introducing them to historical and contemporary debates on addressing poverty and inequality in the world. Dr. It’s not easy - amid life’s various inflection points, large and small alike - to pinpoint one opportunity that reset the compass of one’s life trajectory. Doll, a postdoctoral researcher in the Geography department, was an undergrad in English at Berkeley trying to fix his burnout from working too hard and grappling with heavy theoretical questions with even more hard work and academic dedication. “I started to feel very detached from the world around me,” he recalls. As a senior, he joined a Berkeley School of Education program that trained undergraduates in tutoring youth who needed help with reading. “It mattered so much to connect with my student, to slow down to his pace and see the world from his perspective, and to make a small difference in his life,” Doll says. His new perspective ultimately led to two years in Romania through the Peace Corps and six years working and studying in China. Amid a slew of academic publications, intensive Chinese-language programs, fellowships, and teaching appointments, Doll earned his master’s in China studies and Ph.D. in geography from the University of Washington. Now, the Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Geography can add lecturer with the Global Poverty and Practice minor to his extensive résumé. “I see the goal of the GPP minor as providing a grounded and community-focused experience,” he says. “So, GPP 115 appeals to me because it provides a kind of full-circle moment to encourage and help inform such engaged learning opportunities for current UCB students. GPP 115 focuses on 20th-century development and 21st-century poverty alleviation, including popular ideas of poverty alleviation, the institutional framework of poverty ideas and practices, and the social and political mobilizations that seek to transform the structures of poverty. Doll’s research draws on critical development studies, long-term ethnography, cultural geography, and political ecology in his focus on agrarian change in Asia. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Doll as our new lecturer for GPP 115,” says Clare Talwalker, GPP minor lecturer. “This course serves students all across campus, introducing them to historical and contemporary debates on addressing poverty and inequality in the world. Dr. Take corruption in Romania. As well as seeing his Romanian neighbors as people like him, “I also came to care about the issue of corruption because I saw how I was complicit in its creation and maintenance,” he says. “You start to see that not only can you not impose your values on [students] or tell them what to think, but there’s no need to, because that spirit of inquiry from the foundation of responsibility and empowerment will guide them,” he says. Finding success in college is not easy, particularly when you start at the height of a global pandemic. Last month, the Global Poverty and Practice minor’s Class of 2024 celebrated a hard-earned and well-deserved commencement with an intimate ceremony in Sutardja Dai Hall’s Banatao Auditorium. Over 30 students from 20 different majors had classes and practice experiences upended by the pandemic, Prof. “As champions of social justice,” added Prof. “The classes were not prescribing a way to achieve social and economic equality. I wasn’t given a linear path where I could work my way up the ladder like some corporate job,” said Alisha Dalvi, a student commencement speaker and political science major. “Rather, GPP classes encouraged us to narrow in on ourselves and our community. Dalvi did her practice experience in Mumbai, doing research to identify the pros and cons of Indian government programs meant to assist farmers with sustainable agriculture practices. “The students in the minor are a very specific Berkeley niche,” she told her peers. “Meeting someone who is also a GPP student is like meeting a long-lost best friend. For Quiona Zamara Trimmell, the afternoon’s other student commencement speaker, the minor became a lesson in individual and communal commitment. “My hope,” she said, “is that this will foster a sense of humility in us, a sense of gratitude for all those, whether stranger or friend or somewhere in between, that fueled our sense of commitment to that which we have chosen to stand for” - namely, the long, slow, hard work of effecting change, rooted in community. GPP alumnus Christian Guerrero gave the keynote address. The work students have already done during college is valuable in and of itself, he said, and should be recognized and spoken for by students as such. “Learn to advocate for yourselves so you can be in a position to serve others,” Guerrero said. Echoing Trimmell, Guerrero pointed out that this crucial, often heavy social justice work is made all the more bearable by the support provided by the graduates’ families, friends, and communities - relationships they should hold fast to. “Y’all, as graduates, have more than enough knowledge and are well equipped to take on the world,” Guerrero said. “It should be the other way around: The world is waiting for y’all to contribute, to give your own knowledge, to take these learnings and apply it out there. October 17 marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a UN observance to uplift the voices of those in poverty. Keerthi Konda, a senior cognitive science major, completed the practice experience of her Global Poverty & Practice minor over the summer, providing geriatric and palliative care to rural populations of India. As a pre-med student, Konda knew she wanted to tailor her experience to increasing access to healthcare. Each day she assisted doctors and nurses working in outpatient geriatric clinics, home visits, and hospice services, as well as conducted financial surveys with the families of patients for a new integrated facility to scale up its current services and reach more people from surrounding areas.“The GPP minor has changed how I view poverty and inequality. By combining theory and practical application, I’ve realized that poverty alleviation work is layered, with different approaches best suited for different communities, rather than one universally effective solution,” says Konda. October 17 was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a United Nations observance to acknowledge the efforts and struggles of those living in poverty and to uplift their voices to make their concerns heard. These goals are at the heart of the Blum Center’s mission, with academic, research, and extracurricular opportunities and initiatives encouraging students to consider poverty alleviation. Excellence Anurika Joshua is a first-semester Master of Developing Engineering student from Nigeria in the MDevEng’s Healthcare Transformations track. When looking at graduate programs, Joshua sought something that would allow her to combine three elements: social development, non-profit management, and inclusion. “I sought a curriculum that is immersive in managing and driving change from a global perspective and that looks at development from a social enterprise perspective,” she says. “And, because of my background in both healthcare and workforce development, I wanted a program that was interdisciplinary. Joshua began her workforce-development initiative after experiencing a trying period of her life. “I realized the African society I was in was not kind to helpless women and didn’t care about what you had been through,” she says. As a therapeutic activity, she would make animations for her son, using free, open-source apps. Not only did her son love them, but so did her followers on social media. Soon, businesses were asking her to do storytelling videos for their brands. “They were asking for my videos instead of my résumé,” she says. “Nobody was asking if I was male or female. Or if I was married or divorced. After a few jobs, Joshua was able to purchase a laptop and establish a successful online brand. Then, in 2020, dozens of people asked her for help in moving their businesses online to keep afloat during the pandemic. Currently, Joshua trains women in English-speaking African countries, though she plans to expand to Francophone ones soon. The training ranges from basic computer skills to advanced skills like UI/UX design to software development. Her first training was with 35 women. “Students in GPP and DevEng are building their knowledge and skills about effective approaches to addressing poverty every day,” says Chetan Chowdhry, the Blum Center’s director of student programs. This past academic year has, dare we say it, felt more or less normal. After what felt like ages in a pandemic bubble of Zoom classes, working from home, and frightful news headlines, the Blum Center and Berkeley campus have returned to a state of relative and in-person normalcy: classrooms returning to capacity, events at Blum Hall multiplying, rediscovering the delight of cake and coffee at a staff meeting. The past year also witnessed momentous firsts in our Development Engineering community and some impressive triumphs by students well on their ways to making tangible impacts on real-world problems. In August, the second-ever cohort of our Master of Development Engineering program arrived at Blum Hall to begin their three semesters of study. The three dozen new grad students all seemed to agree on one thing at their Aug. Prof. Civil and environmental engineering Prof. “You have become the precedent for what this program can and will become: a program marked by educating and equipping changemakers to develop innovative global solutions,” said commencement speaker Prof. Maya Carrasquillo. This past spring, civil and environmental engineering Prof. Prof. Nelson took over from retiring mechanical engineering Prof. …High Tide, a Berkeley student duo replacing plastic coatings with bio-based coatings for single-use products that allow them to be composted and recycled. “The concept behind High Tide was born out of a realization that the majority of our paper products are destined for landfill, despite paper being a compostable and recyclable material,” Erickson said. “It’s an extremely pervasive yet less widely known issue. “GPP has been a process of tearing down everything we thought we knew about the world and rewriting the stories we tell about it,” she told her peers. We’ve had the honor of directly serving more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students this year - practitioners of poverty alleviation, health-technology innovators, development engineers, social entrepreneurs, and more. And we look forward to serving many more in 2023-24! While the paths taken by the 60 newly minted GPP alumni to and through the minor differed greatly, they ultimately converged May 15 at Sutardja Dai Hall’s Banatao Auditorium following classes on poverty alleviation, a hands-on “practice experience” combining theory with practice, and deep reflection on what they learned. Samyukta Shrivatsa arrived at Berkeley knowing the huge privilege it was to receive an education at Cal - indeed, what a huge privilege it was to even afford the flight all the way here from India. Then the pandemic hit. While the paths taken by the 60 newly minted GPP alumni to and through the minor differed greatly, they ultimately converged May 15 at Sutardja Dai Hall’s Banatao Auditorium following classes on poverty alleviation, a hands-on “practice experience” combining theory with practice, and deep reflection on what they learned. Prof. Keynote speaker Prof. Keynote speaker and anthropology professor Aarti Sethi marveled at students’ ability to accomplish all that while having to do so much to take care of themselves, their families, and others. Sethi asked students to consider the “heart of the liberal university”: libraries - th…
Overcoming Weight Loss Challenges and Misconceptions
The weight loss industry promotes unrealistic expectations to impressionable audiences. As you scroll through social media, you see posts of perfect people with their perfect bodies, and most of the time, you wish that your life and body were like that. Then, you go on YouTube to find some advice and workout ideas or purchase a gym membership. You are met with videos that say “2 Week Full Body Transformation” and many different gym fees. For the two weeks, you track your food and workout every day, and most of the time, you see no results. When someone starts their weight loss journey, oftentimes, they have a goal weight or goal bodies. In addition, many YouTube videos or weight loss programs have catchy titles, such as stating that this workout video or program will make you look like an idealized celebrity in a short amount of time. However, not even these “perfect” celebrities look like their photos. For instance, Zendaya, Kylie Jenner, Britney Spears, and Kim Kardashian all have had their magazine covers are Instagram photos edited and photoshopped by professionals (insider.com). The weight loss industry also perpetuates a large amount of inaccurate information. Renee Li (12) believes that “many weightloss videos have unrealistic titles” that “definitely won’t work.” For example, Chloe Ting, a popular weight loss YouTube channel, has many videos that give viewers wrong and impossible information. Her most famous video is titled “Get Abs in 2 WEEKS | Abs Workout Challenge,” and during quarantine, it gained popularity with many people attempting to get abs in a short amount of time and amassed over 43o million views. When people began their workout binge and weight loss attempts in 2020, their desperation to achieve their weight loss goals or look like unrealistic beauty standards led to unfortunate habits. In 2020, eating disorders and hospitalizations due to them increased at an alarming rate (webmd.com). This dismal outcome from the pandemic is due to the unhealthy eating habits that many people on social media promote. Overall, these problems could lead to devastating effects to people’s mental wellbeing and physical health. While it is important to exercise and eat healthily, it is also important to live a balanced life.
Airman Bristow's Fitness Journey: A Story of Dedication and Inspiration
Airman 1st Class Austin Bristow, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning apprentice with the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron, had neglected the gym for almost a year. When he tried to join the Air Force, he realized he was too heavy and needed to change his lifestyle if he wanted to become an Airman. Looking at Bristow now, two years later and standing at 5 feet 10 inches, weighing roughly 180 pounds, it is completely unapparent he used to weigh almost 220 pounds. With motivation from his brothers and the prospects of joining the Air Force, Bristow was able to accomplish his goals to improve his fitness and lose weight. Between his freshman and senior year of high school, Bristow gained 100 pounds through his unhealthy habit of eating fast-food and playing video games in his free time. He explained how his friends used to make fun of him for being the person to finish leftovers, but never felt like they were doing it out of spite. He saw their jokes coming from a place of love, and never thought too much about his weight. Bristow said he didn’t realize how out of hand his health was getting until he finished high school.“It didn’t really hit me until I was graduating senior year,” Bristow said. He hoped to join the Air Force, but was disappointed when he discovered he did not qualify to go to the Military Entrance Processing Station.“I was packed and ready to go,” Bristow explained. “We cancelled my trip, which was kind of embarrassing. I was too heavy, so my recruiter had to send me home.”Bristow took the defeat as a reason to kick himself into gear and focus on losing weight and getting in shape so he could enlist. He began to go to the gym multiple times a day and restricted his intake of sodas and sugary foods. “I have three other brothers who are active-duty,” Bristow said. “If I wasn’t able to join I would feel like I was letting them down. I wanted them to be proud of me.”After a few weeks of working hard in and out of the gym, Bristow finally was under the weight maximum for his height. He was able to successfully go to MEPS and graduate basic military training, which helped him lose even more weight.Now, Bristow weighs about 180 pounds. He does his best to go to the gym six days a week, as well as eat healthier and cleaner. His dedication does not go unnoticed, either. He mentioned how a few of his friends and coworkers have asked to workout with him. “They see me going to the gym and realize they should be too,” Bristow said. Senior Airman Logan Carpenter, an alarm monitor with the 319th Security Forces Squadron and friend to Bristow, said Bristow serves as a great fitness example to other Airmen.“Those who know Austin and what he has been through feed on his success. It’s contagious.”Bristow said he’s proud of his transformation, and how he’s not seen as the kid who will eat everyone’s leftovers anymore. “It’s a good feeling when people tell you you’ve come a long way, or inspired them to workout more,” he added.Bristow is happy to be of help to his fellow Airmen, and believes anyone who wears the uniform should be doing their best to be in shape.“I think being physically in shape is an important part of anyone’s job,” he explained. “You’re in the military, you know what you signed up for. You should be in shape.
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