From Sociology to Sites: How Sara Found Her Digital Voice at 50

She didn’t change career—she expanded her future.

Meet Sara Aguiar

Sociologist. Nature-lover. Always chasing knowledge.

Sara Aguiar is a 50-year-old technical director at an IPSS (a Portuguese social institution), with decades of experience supporting education and elderly care. She's deeply rooted in social impact—and passionate about learning, even while balancing motherhood and a full-time leadership role. Her happy place? A mountain trail, a good book over breakfast, or a new challenge that makes her grow.

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“This wasn’t just about learning tools—it was about learning to believe I could do this. Even on the tired days. Even when I was the only one holding it all together. I didn’t give up.”

Sara Aguiar

Student from Descodifica-te #3, 2025

The Challenge

Though confident in her mission, Sara often felt limited by her lack of digital skills.

“I always saw the web, automation, and all that as something other people did,” she shared. She wanted to explore digital tools—not to reinvent herself, but to better serve her community and maybe even build something of her own. But time, confidence, and digital jargon stood in the way.

The Transformation

“I didn’t know almost anything—but I didn’t give up. I worked on resilience.”

From day one, Sara rolled up her sleeves. She built a site around her own idea—a directory of IPSS services in her district—and later took on a real-life client project for an association supporting youth inclusion in the Algarve.

Her proudest moment? Completing her portfolio site from scratch:

“It was really mine, start to finish. I think it turned out well.”

More than just tools, Sara gained digital fluency, the ability to lead web projects, and the confidence to pitch ideas she once held back.

And all of it? While raising her teenage son, managing a team, and chasing deadlines from her rural corner of Montemor-o-Novo.

Behind the scenes

Favorite
Tool

Wix—loved the creative flow of building sites

Favourite mission

Designing her portfolio—“start to finish, it was mine”

Biggest challenge

Glide app—“did the basics, but wish I’d done more”

Most valuable learning

“Not everything will be perfect—but do it anyway”

What’s next for Sara

Sara’s now ready to use her new skills to complement her social impact work—digitizing resources, launching side projects, and continuing to explore new paths. She’s still curious, still learning, and still thinking about what’s possible.

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Project Highlight

In the final stage of the Cohorts, students have the opportunity to work in a real project to develop not only technical skills, but also soft skills like client management, problem-solving, prioritization, and negotiation. Always with the support of our Mentors.

Project Name: Rede Apoio Solidária

‍Mission: Connect volunteers with elderly people in need of companionship and help‍

Tools: Wix, Airtable, Zapier‍

Features:

Volunteer and recipient forms synced with Airtable
Automated workflows for efficient follow-up
Clean, accessible website design

The Results

A powerful prototype of a scalable community support network—Sara handled all the tech, comms, and content.

“They said, ‘We like it. You got everything we asked for.’ That was all I needed to hear.”

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Programs

You Don’t Have to Know It All to Begin

Sara didn’t take the leap because she had time. She did it because she had purpose. If you’re ready to grow—even when it feels like a mountain—maybe it’s time to take the first step. Explore the program. Your next chapter might just start here.