Zoe de la Paz believes that you make your own luck. That mindset gave her the courage to quit her day job in Chicago, enter the costuming field, and move to Yellowstone National Park to work as a seamstress. Eventually, he hopes to take that path to New York City and work on Broadway or in film production.
Mr. De La Paz, 26, most recently lived in Chicago and worked as a draftsman for a civil engineering and construction company. She started sewing as a hobby in high school, but her full-time job didn’t satisfy her creative potential, so she performed odd gigs at nearby music venues in the evenings and weekends. Her plan is to connect with people who oversee wardrobes for touring productions and perhaps land a job sewing.
Ms. de la Paz did everything from accepting tickets and filling catering orders to stocking the dressing rooms of visiting artists. Once in those rooms, she connected with the people responsible for costumes for the performers.
Her first wardrobe assistant job was “really lucky,” Delapaz told CNBC Make It: She was catering The Weeknd’s concert in Detroit. When it came time for the tour to move to its next stop, Chicago, the crew said they needed a seamstress to help fix the backup dancers’ costumes.
Zoe de la Paz began sewing costumes as a hobby in high school. She hadn’t considered pursuing it as a career until recently.
Courtesy of the subject
“I quickly wrote my number on a napkin and told her I had experience sewing,” Delapaz said. “I just happened to be there at that place and at that time,” she said, adding that she believes “luck can be created in life.”
In this case, she says: “I knew that if I wanted to be in the wardrobe, I needed to find a way to get into the same room as the people in the wardrobe.”
Bring your sewing skills to Yellowstone
In January, Ms. de La Paz said she knew she was ready to quit her 9-to-5 desk job and take a full-time sewing job. “I was really scared of quitting my job and pursuing my dreams and doing something that adults told me I shouldn’t do,” she says.
She recalled traveling to Yellowstone several years ago to visit a friend who had a seasonal job, and how much that opportunity changed their lives.
De La Paz searched the Internet and found a job as a seamstress in the uniform department of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, a concession company that operates hotels, lodges, restaurants and other businesses in Yellowstone. She applied, had a phone interview, and was hired.
Jeanne Holmes, 73, a former educator and fellow seamstress at Yellowstone who helped hire De La Paz, said the young seamstress stood out for her previous sewing experience and ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment. Holmes said he hemmed more than 1,000 pairs of pants during his first season at the park in 2023.
I was really scared of quitting my job, chasing my dreams, and doing things that adults told me not to do.
“She had really good instincts,” Holmes said, and Delapaz demonstrated that when discussing her approach to some interview situational questions.
“Every restoration project is different,” Holmes says, and the role requires ingenuity and passion. For example, in addition to caring for employee uniforms, the department upcycles old and damaged inventory into new projects, such as turning old backpacks into fanny packs for staff. “(De La Paz) showed me some of her projects and I found out that she’s very creative, and that’s going to be a plus,” Holmes says.
Ms. de la Paz started her role in June and now spends her days sewing patches, fixing snaps and replacing buttons and zippers on the uniforms of thousands of Xanterra employees, from housekeepers to security guards to restaurant workers.
Life in the park: “I never dreamed of it”
De la Paz works as a seamstress 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with breaks in between. She now spends her free time outdoors, horseback riding, hiking, and enjoying free and low-cost activities hosted by Yellowstone employee groups.
She makes $19.25 an hour and receives employee housing and food assistance. Even though her hourly wage is lower than her previous salary, de la Paz said she feels she is saving more money than she was when she lived in Chicago, thanks to fewer expenses and unlimited free entertainment.
Zoe de la Paz spends her free time hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying all the fun that Yellowstone National Park has to offer.
Courtesy of the subject
De La Paz will work at Yellowstone until around October. This seasonal job is part of her plan to eventually move to New York City and pursue her dream of working in costumes and costumes for Broadway, movies, and other productions.
Delapaz thought he was giving up his high school hobby in exchange for a “serious” college degree and career. Now, she’s spending her days doing what she loves, which she hopes will turn into a long-term opportunity. “Two years ago, when I was working in a company, I never thought something like this would happen,” she says.
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