ORANGE PARK, Fla — After dedicating countless hours to practice, embarking on a two-and-a-half-mile journey, Emerson experienced a Thanksgiving she will never forget.

A flutist from Oakleaf High School had the honor of marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, captivating a nationwide audience.

“Honestly, it felt surreal,” Emerson Smiley shared soon after the parade concluded. “There were so many people surrounding us.”

Her journey to New York was a long-anticipated adventure—after submitting a flute performance video, Smiley was chosen as one of the 200 talented musicians to join Macy’s Great American Marching Band.

Of course, her family pulled into New York a little early so they could do a bit of sightseeing.

“We saw a whole bunch of different things,” said Smiley. “We went on a cruise. We saw the Statue of Liberty, we went to a market, that was a lot of fun, but then Monday, we started rehearsals.”

From there, it was down to business, with eight hours of practice the first day, then four, then two — all to get used to playing with a massive band of people she’d never played with before.

“It was a big adjustment, but after the first 30 minutes of our first rehearsal, it kind of locked in,” said Smiley.

While lots of people may use Thanksgiving as an excuse to sleep in, Smiley had to be up by 1:30 a.m. to get to one last rehearsal at 3 a.m.

After that early start, it was time to start the 2.5 mile march through Manhattan.

“It was freezing,” said Smiley. “My legs were hurting really bad, but I pushed through.”

Fortunately, she had plenty to take in to distract her from the cold.

“I saw the Labubu float,” said Smiley. “That one was really popular. In front of me was Sesame Street with Christopher Jackson, and I saw Ninja Turtles and Stranger Things.”

Now, she has about a 14-hour drive back — with plenty of stories to swap from the week to fill the time.

“My mom was crying,” said Smiley. “She was so happy.”

Smiley won’t be able to be in the Great American Marching Band again once she graduates from Oakleaf, but she’s hoping to be in the parade again someday.