“Freedom is like the air we breathe: you only realize how important it is when it's no longer there. If we do not uphold that freedom, no judge or court can save it.”

Barbara is chair of the HZ University of Applied Sciences and professor of human rights at Utrecht University. Central to her career is the question of how we can realize human rights. Barbara was previously dean at University College Roosevelt and she set up programs on human rights in higher education. Barbara also contributed from the Platform Human Rights Education to the textbook 'Four Freedoms in the Classroom' and 'Inspiration for Human Rights Education'. Education is an important part of the Roosevelt Foundation.

The first Four Freedoms ceremony and the ceremonies that followed made a deep impression on Barbara. The most defining of her life was the meeting with Christiane Figueres. Figueres received the International Four Freedoms Award in 2018 for her role as a mediator in the Paris Climate Agreement. According to Barbara, how one person can make a difference is what the Four Freedoms Awards are all about.