HENDERSON, Tenn., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Just five months after graduating, FHU alumna Adleigh Mayes rolled onto her alma mater's campus in the Planters NUTmobile, a 26-foot long peanut-shaped vehicle that she and two other "Peanutters" are driving across the country, spreading joy along with salted and honey roasted samples.

Planters hires recent communications and marketing graduates, giving them a fun career opportunity that's part brand ambassador, part cross-country driver. When Mayes' father saw the job opening earlier this year, he playfully shared it in the family group chat saying it would be the perfect job for her, and so she applied amongst 800 to 900 hopefuls.

The more she progressed through the application process, the more the possibility of landing the job seemed real. "I'm from Dothan, Alabama, known as the peanut capital of the world, and my dad works in peanuts. He helped me prepare for the interviews," she said. When she made it as a finalist, it was down to five girls and three guys.

"They flew eight of us to Chicago for in-person interviews, and we split up into teams and worked on projects together," Mayes said. "At the end of it, they pulled us individually and asked who in our groups we felt we could work with. I selected Hudson and Aria, and they selected me," she said. Hudson Ritchie and Aria Conte, also recent college graduates, are Mayes' fellow Peanutters; they share the driving, booking and scheduling of the NUTmobile's stops. Their journey began in June and will conclude in June 2026. Conte is a 2024 graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and Ritchie is a graduate of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

So far the nutty trio have visited cities in the Midwest, East and are heading farther south after spending time in West Tennessee. In 2026, they'll roll out West where they plan to be in San Francisco during the Super Bowl.

"We all get along really well — we're like siblings," she said. "To do this job you have to be comfortable with constant change and talking to different people everyday, and you must be friendly. We're driving a giant peanut, so when we stop to get gas, of course, people are going to stop and talk to you."

Now that all of the Peanutters have visited their alma maters, being back at FHU, Mayes thought about how the lessons she learned while a student apply in her current position.
"All of my communication classes are part of what I do now — writing reports, pitching our visits. What I learned here has been a huge help."

The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. Located in Henderson, Tennessee, FHU offers associate, bachelor's, master's, specialist and doctoral degrees. More information is available at fhu.edu.

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SOURCE Freed-Hardeman University