BC 2024 Graduate Takes Over Oscar Mayer Wienermobile — The Heights

Towards the end of their college years, many seniors were trying to figure out where they would go after leaving the Heights. Applications for internships and jobs were filed left and right at law firms, engineering firms, and other businesses around the world.

Among these new BC alumni, there’s one you can’t miss: Stephen Harrison, MCAS ’24. Why should he catch your eye? Two words: the Wienermobile.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Havertown, Pa., Harrison attended St. Joseph’s Prep, a Jesuit school for boys, before deciding to continue his Jesuit education at Boston College. Although initially unsure of his major, Harrison soon channeled his passion for talking to others into his studies.

“I talked to my academic advisor and he said, ‘We can give you a communications major for the semester, and if you don’t like the class, you can drop the major,'” Harrison said. “And I’m still graduating as a communications major.”

In addition to his major, Harrison also found purpose in his extracurricular activities. Not only does he participate in the Kairos retreats that are held each year, but he has also served on the BC Student Admissions Program (SAP) board for the past two years.

Kristen Gallant, associate director of undergraduate admissions, mentored Harrison and oversaw the summer admissions program Harrison worked on last summer. Gallant pointed to Harrison’s openness to other students as one of his greatest strengths.

“There were definitely some team members who probably knew each other, but those people who weren’t necessarily part of a friend group, he really took them under his wing and invited them to be part of the circle,” Gallant said. “So he was definitely an integral part of creating that community over the summer.”

Over the summer, Harrison arranged trips for the group to bring them closer together. Caroline Williams, MCAS ’24, worked with Harrison in Kairos and the SAP summer program. She attested to the fact that Harrison exudes positivity and brings it to the summer admissions leaders.

“I would also say he’s very adventurous, both on and off the job,” Williams said. “I think he really brings the team together, so for example, this summer, we spent time at work planning little trips and actually getting out there. So we went on a hike up to Acadia and things like that.”

Like many high school seniors, Harrison’s application process began early in the school year. He was originally offered a teaching position at his old high school.

“Funny enough, I applied for another job in November. I went back to high school for a year, volunteered there, taught college classes, taught math, and took Kairos there,” Harrison said.

When his mother messaged him through the family group chat about a position at Oscar Mayer, Harrison immediately showed interest.

“She sent it into our family group chat and was like, ‘Stephen, you should apply for this.’ I read the website and honestly, a lot of the qualifications fit me exactly,” Harrison said. “They were looking for a lot of communications, marketing majors, experience traveling and driving and a sense of adventure.”

On a hunch, Harrison decided to apply. The position was primarily listed as a social media marketing job where employees would drive around the country in the Wienermobile.

Williams, who previously had a friend who held the same position, explained that Harrison’s professional skills and positive personality made him the perfect candidate for the position.

“When I heard he was interested, I immediately thought, ‘He’s the perfect person for this job,’ because it’s that combination of talking to people and getting to know people, but also that adventure aspect,” Williams said.

Harrison’s talent for talking to people comes in handy when his hot dog-shaped car pulls up to convenience stores selling Oscar Mayer hot dogs. After stopping at the store, Harrison gets out of the car and meets families going inside to buy dinner.

“I think the idea is that you’re parked there, and kids and families come up and see it, and you take pictures with them, and they’re really excited,” Harrison said. “I think the idea is that they’re thinking about getting Oscar Mayer hot dogs at the grocery store that night.”

After not hearing from Oscar Mayer again, Harrison decided to commit to his other offer at St. Joseph’s. However, the same week he accepted the job, he received an email from Oscar Mayer asking if he would come in for a personal interview.

“After spring break, they flew me out to Madison, Wisconsin to do an in-person interview with the top 24,” Harrison said. “My mindset was like, ‘I’m just going to do this for fun and see how far I can go.'”

Harrison got the job just before Easter, and he had to decide whether to continue teaching at St. Joseph’s or try the marketing job at Oscar Mayer.

Gallant said Harrison was nervous about making the right choice, but she encouraged him to see Oscar Mayer’s offer as a new opportunity.

“I think he felt like he was maybe turning away from that, and I thought, ‘Don’t look at it that way. Look at it as a once-in-a-lifetime thing,'” Gallant said.

Out of 7,000 applicants, Harrison was one of 12 chosen for the job. He eventually accepted the job and assumed his official role as “Hotdogger.”

On June 2, Harrison began training to get his special CVL license to drive the Wienermobile. Harrison said he is excited to start driving, and his love of travel fits nicely with the adventure part of his job.

“I haven’t had a chance to go very far. When I was in Madison, I told my interviewers that this was the furthest west I’ve ever been,” Harrison said. “So I’m looking forward to going further than that. I’m really excited because on my days off I get to explore where I am and I’ll be in a new place pretty much every week.”

Additionally, Harrison will have his own Oscar Mayer social media account to post his adventures. He has already departed his personal LinkedIn account after posting a message announcing his commitment to the Oscar Mayer position.

“I knew that if I got the job, the first thing I wanted to do was put out a CSOM LinkedIn post. I thought, every job I got, I would put out a LinkedIn post because that would be cool. But in this particular case, I thought, ‘This could go really far,'” Harrison said.

His post was met with many likes and positive reactions from friends, family, classmates, teachers and his future employers.

Harrison explained that one of the most inspiring things for him was seeing not only people his own age excited about his work, but also older people who had been around Oscar Mayer for years.

“Especially people who are a little bit older than us, like older generations, grew up with it and have such fond memories of it,” Harrison said. “I haven’t met anyone who was like, ‘That’s weird. That’s a weird post-grad experience.'”

Harrison was greeted not only online, but also on the British Columbia campus during his final weeks of classes, even by people he didn’t know at all.

“I’m really grateful for the amount of people who have been so supportive,” Harrison said. “I’ve felt like a mini-celeb the last few weeks. My housemates would come home and be like, ‘Someone was talking about you in class today.'”

Harrison said it was moments like these that made him realize that his work with Oscar Mayer was not just an individual effort on his part, but also a team effort with the people who helped him through the process.

“Honestly, one of the only reasons I’m doing it is because everyone pushed me to really work hard, which I’m very thankful for because I think it’s going to be a great opportunity,” Harrison said. “But there was a point where I was like, ‘I can’t do this because I have another job.’ But everyone pushed me out.”

As Harrison begins his adventure this summer, he hopes to return to BC to visit his alma mater and maybe even attend a football tailgate with the Wienermobile. Until we meet Stephen again!

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