26-year-old quit her corporate job to become a seamstress at Yellowstone
Zoe De La Paz believes you have to create your own luck. This mindset helped her gather the courage to quit her corporate day job in Chicago, enter the costume industry, and move to Yellowstone National Park to work as a seamstress; he hopes this path will eventually take him to New York City to work on Broadway and in film productions.
De La Paz, 26, until recently lived in Chicago and worked as a draftsman for an engineering construction company. She had taken up sewing for fun in high school, and because she was not creatively fulfilled in her day job, she had taken up the odd gig at nearby music venues on nights and weekends. Her plan: Connect with the people who oversee the wardrobes of touring productions and possibly do some sewing work.
De La Paz progressed from buying tickets, fulfilling food orders, to stocking visiting artists’ dressing rooms; Once in these rooms, he connected with the people responsible for the artists’ wardrobes.
De La Paz tells CNBC Make It that her first wardrobe assistant job was “really serendipitous”: She was in Detroit preparing a concert for The Weeknd. When it came time to move on to the tour’s next stop in Chicago, a crew member mentioned that a seamstress was needed there to help repair the backup dancers’ costumes.
Zoe De La Paz started sewing costumes as a hobby in high school. Until recently, he did not consider pursuing this as a career.
Courtesy of the topic
“Cue me trying to write my number on a napkin and tell them I have sewing experience,” says De La Paz. “It was luck because I was there at that place and at that time,” he says, adding that he believes “you can generate luck in your life.”
In this case, he says, “I knew that if I wanted to be in the wardrobe, I had to find a way to be in the same room as the people who were in the wardrobe.”
She takes her sewing skills to Yellowstone
In January, De La Paz said she felt ready to quit her 9-to-5 desk job for a full-time sewing job. “It was really scary to leave the company and chase [my] “Dream your dreams and do what adults tell you ‘you shouldn’t do that’,” he says.
He remembered a trip a few years ago to visit a friend who worked a seasonal job in Yellowstone and how much the opportunity had changed their lives.
De La Paz looked online and found a role as a seamstress in the uniform department of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire that operates hotels, lodges, restaurants and other businesses in Yellowstone. He applied, attended the phone interview and was hired.
The young seamstress stood out for her previous sewing experience and ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment, according to Jeanne Holmes, 73, a retired educator and seamstress friend who helped recruit De La Paz in Yellowstone. Holmes says his first season at the park in 2023 involves hemming more than 1,000 pairs of pants.
It was really scary to leave the company and chase [my] dream and do what adults tell you ‘you shouldn’t do that’.
“He had really good instincts,” Holmes says, and De La Paz showed that when discussing his approach to various situational interview questions.
“Every repair project is different,” Holmes says, and the role requires creativity and passion. For example, in addition to maintaining employee uniforms, the department turns old or damaged inventory into new projects, such as turning old backpacks into fanny packs for staff. “[De La Paz] “He showed me some of his projects and I could see that he was very creative,” says Holmes, “and that was going to be a plus.”
De La Paz took office in June and now he spends He spent his days sewing patches, mending snaps, and replacing buttons and zippers on uniforms for Xanterra’s thousands of employees, from cleaners to security guards to food and beverage workers.
Life in the park: ‘I couldn’t even imagine this’
De La Paz works 40 hours a week as a seamstress, Monday through Friday, working from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day with breaks. He now spends his free time outdoors, such as horseback riding, hiking or enjoying one of the many free or low-cost activities that Yellowstone employee groups perform.
He earns $19.25 an hour and provides housing and food support to his employees. Despite the lower hourly rate compared to her previous corporate salary, De La Paz says she feels like she’s been able to save more money than 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 everything Yellowstone National Park has to offer.
Courtesy of the topic
De La Paz will work in Yellowstone until October. The seasonal job is part of her plan to eventually move to New York and pursue her dream of working in wardrobe and costume for Broadway, film and other productions.
It was a dream De La Paz thought he had given up on after trading in his high school hobby for a “serious” college degree and career. Now he gets to spend his days doing something he loves and can see it turning into long-term opportunities. “Two years ago, working in a corporate company, I could not even imagine [this] “It would happen,” he says.
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