Houston Students Perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

CYPRESS, Texas – Two students from the Houston area will perform in the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City this year. Hannah Bockhahn, a senior at Cy-Fair High School, and Lance Jehlik, a junior at Cypress Woods High School, have been selected as part of an elite group of young performers.

Bockhahn’s journey began with what she initially thought would be an easy physical education credit. “I honestly auditioned for it because I thought it would be an easier P.E. credit. It definitely wasn’t,” she said. After completing her first season, she realized her passion for the color guard, which she has now been a part of for four years. Bockhahn is one of just 40 color guard members selected from across the country.

“It’s such a crazy coincidence almost that I was one of the few people that they selected for it,” she added.

Jehlik’s love for music started during his childhood. He chose the trombone because of its unique sound and slide feature. “It’s a very unique instrument because of the slide, and it’s very fun to play,” Jehlik said. He learned about the Macy’s Parade opportunity through connections from last year’s event.

“I was like 50-50,” said Jehlik about his chances of getting selected after submitting his audition video. “It’s the whole nation. It could be anyone, but I was really happy when I got the text back that I made it.” Jehlik will join approximately 100 other musicians in the band to perform songs like “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman.

Both students are set to fly to New York on Saturday morning, going through a busy schedule filled with rehearsals and sightseeing. For Bockhahn, who has never visited New York City, the reality of participating in the iconic parade has yet to sink in. “I don’t think it’ll feel real until I look out of the plane window and see the whole city,” she said.

Jehlik, who has visited New York in the summer, is looking forward to experiencing the winter cold. “I just want to see how cold it is during winter,” he said.

The parade could lead to more opportunities for them both. Jehlik hopes to continue playing music in college while also pursuing competitive marching. Bockhahn plans to study crime scene investigation and intends to stay involved with color guard as long as she can. She acknowledged the support from her coaching staff, particularly Kelsey Hernandez, stating, “Without her help and her creating this good of a program, I wouldn’t have had this great opportunity.”

For Jehlik, representing Houston on a national stage carries deep significance. “It’s such an honor, because I know kids now, they’re looking up to me, because I represent them and I want to represent them well. It’s really such an honor and I hope that me doing this makes you realize that you can do it too. If you work for it, you can do it,” he said.