From Caregiver to Creator

How Cristina found new purpose in tech—without leaving her humanity behind

Meet Cristina Dias

Empathetic soul. Lifelong learner. Fiercely resilient.

Cristina Dias, 43, lives in the quiet Viseu district of Portugal. She’s a mother of two—one grown, one still her shadow. Her days are a balancing act: working as an administrative at a dental pharmacy, caring deeply for her community, and living with a rare health condition that brings constant uncertainty. But if there's one thing Cristina knows how to do, it's adapt.

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"I live with a condition that could stop my heart. But here I am—still going. This course didn’t just give me digital skills. It gave me hope, direction, and a chance to help others again. That’s everything to me."

Cristina Dias

Student from Descodifica-te #3, 2025

The Challenge

Cristina’s professional path has never followed a straight line.

She’s done everything—from working at sea to serving in restaurants, from public speaking to call centers in multiple languages. She began her career caring for someone with cerebral palsy and later trained to work with the elderly, her lifelong passion.

But when her health declined in 2017, Cristina had to rebuild. "I had to restructure my whole professional life," she says. "The technical part of working with the elderly became too hard. I had to find something I could do—with purpose—but from home."

The Transformation

"I didn’t think I’d join. It just appeared in my inbox. But I’m so glad I did."

Cristina joined the program not just to learn tools, but to regain her independence.

She mastered platforms like Wix, Adalo, and explored digital marketing. More importantly, she found a supportive space to grow. She built an app to connect local citizens with their municipal leaders. She redesigned a real organization’s website to make it more accessible and efficient.

And along the way, she discovered a future she could build on her own terms.

She’s now developing her own virtual assistant business, applying all she learned—at her pace, in her way.

Behind the scenes

Favorite
Tool

Wix

Favourite mission

Adalo mobile app

Biggest challenge

Rebuilding confidence post-diagnosis

Most valuable learning

"You never know everything—there’s always more to learn."

What’s next for Cristina

Cristina is growing her virtual assistant business step by step. Her dream? To one day make it her full-time career—and help others with disabilities navigate their own digital journeys.

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Project Highlight

In the final stage of the Cohorts, students have the opportunity to create a Capstone Project to showcase what they have learned across the journey. They have the liberty to use whichever tool they want or even explore new ones, promoting their critical thinking and proactivity. Always with the support of our Mentors.

Project Name: + Queirã

Client: Junta de Freguesia de Queirã (Cristina’s current workplace)

Mission: Create a citizen-friendly mobile app to modernize local services

Tools: Adalo, no-code mapping features, calendar integration

Results:
Cristina developed the app during the program, and it was implemented immediately by her local government. And all of it built by Cristina—self-taught, determined, and glowing with pride.

A clear example of how no-code can empower real change in individuals and in communities.

“This project consumed me—in the best way. I’m proud of how autodidact and persistent I was. Bring on more challenges!”

The Results

History of the parish and local leaders
Live reporting of public issues (like flooding) via geolocation
Citizen scheduling for public service meetings
Direct connection between residents and municipal services

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Programs

Ready to surprise yourself?

Cristina didn’t just upskill, she found new freedom, on her terms. If you’re craving flexibility, meaning, or simply a fresh start, this might be your first step too.