Natalie Elizondo is a university employee who works in the mailroom. She is an incredibly talented artist with a variety of creative outlets and bringing joy to students. And, she is happily married and has three adult children.
Elizondo joined the UD community three years ago when she began working in Printing and Postal. Through her work both in the post office and outside of it, she is incredibly creative.
In the past she has helped students design and mail out wedding invitations from the post office. Outside of UD she has done cake decorating, costume design and woodworking.
Her experience with costume design and creation comes from working for the Dallas Opera and the Dallas Theater Center. She also used to work with the costume team on Barney the Purple Dinosaur. For several years, Elizondo has done costume work on dresses for the Texas Rose Festival, which takes place in Tyler each fall.
Elizondo also runs a woodworking business called Maderas Bellas with her husband. They create beautiful works in wood, tile, and resin, and you can find them on Instagram, @Maderasbellastexas. Some of their work includes cheese boards, tortilla presses and knife blocks.
She applied for her current job at UD because she noticed the ad for the position was posted from an Irving Catholic profile. “I really do feel I’m meant to be here. I love the atmosphere of UD,” Elizondo said. Interacting with the community, seeing young UD families and working at the front counter are some of the highlights of her job.
When asked if she had a favorite story of working in the post office, she recalled a time when a student wanted to buy postage for an outbound package, but did not have enough money on hand to pay for it. Another student, who was a stranger, jumped in to help pay for the costs. “You probably don’t get that at most universities,” Elizondo said.
She also mentioned the school breaks when the students are gone, but the post office stays open. “The summers and the holidays, when the students are not here, it’s nice for a little while because you’re getting stuff done, but then I miss the kids, and that’s really what I love,” Elizondo said.
When asked about her advice to both incoming freshman and rising seniors, she said, “It’s okay not to have everything figured out. You don’t have to ace every test, give yourself grace. God will direct you where you’re supposed to be. If it doesn’t fit where He wants you to be, it won’t work, and you’ll find something else. He will open that door.”