FHU alumna tours the nation in peanut vehicle
Just five months after graduation, Freed-Hardeman University alumna Adleigh Mayes returned to her campus in a unique way — behind the wheel of the Planters NUTmobile, a 26-foot-long, peanut-shaped vehicle. Alongside two other “Peanutters,” she is travelling across the United States spreading smiles and distributing free salted and honey roasted peanut samples.
Planters offers recent graduates in communication and marketing a fun opportunity to become brand ambassadors while exploring the country. When Mayes’ father first noticed the opening, he joked that it was the perfect role for her — and he was right. Out of nearly 900 applicants, Mayes was one of eight finalists flown to Chicago for interviews, where teamwork played a key role.
She was selected along with Hudson Ritchie from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Aria Conte from Butler University in Indianapolis. Together, they drive, plan events, and organize community visits for Planters. Their road trip began in June 2025 and will end in June 2026, with planned stops across the Midwest, South, and West Coast — including San Francisco during the Super Bowl.
Mayes, originally from Dothan, Alabama, known as the “peanut capital of the world,” says the experience feels natural. “To do this job, you have to enjoy talking to people and adapt to change,” she shared.
"They flew eight of us to Chicago for in-person interviews, and we split up into teams and worked on projects together," said Mayes. "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,"
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