SIM Alumni

Desirée Barlocher

Brazil Class 5

Desirée is an environmentalist at heart. She believes that it is our responsibility to develop a level of consciousness that comprehends the consequences our habits and beliefs have on our environment and ecology. Desirée is inspired by communities and educational models that facilitate this awareness. She is driven to understand the various ways in which the world looms itself into a complex tapestry and believes in the capacity of beings to create new patterns that incorporate, value and protect each and every strand that gives this colorful tapestry life. After participating in Schumacher College’s “Leadership for Transition” program, Desirée developed a deep sense of care for and interest in agroecology. She wants to challenge the way the food industry designs their supply chains and is driven to transform how we supply and distribute food, as well as manage “waste”, around the world in a scalable way.

Desirée is originally from Switzerland but grew up in Brazil, Panama, Mexico, India, Italy and the United States. After graduating with a Bachelor Degree in International Relations from NYU, she moved back to Brazil to reconnect with her place of birth. Desirée has a background in research, statistical modelling and law. She has been working for three years as a corporate paralegal at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton conducting due diligence for debt restructurings, capital markets transactions and independent investigations into alleged corruption at some of Brazil’s largest companies, as well as into the Samarco dam collapse. She loves hiking and spending time in the jungle and mountains, swimming in the ocean, and getting people together for a home-cooked meal.