Student Gets the High Five of a Lifetime at Chiefs Parade

The victory parade in Kansas City celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl LVII was a memorable one for so many. And especially so for Katie Mead.

Hundreds of thousands of fans streamed into downtown along the parade route and the rally afterward to celebrate with the champs — including many Rockhurst students. Among them was Mead, a sophomore and Kansas City native who attended with her family. For those who watched the collection of photos and videos sent in by students from the day on the Rockhurst University Instagram page, Mead’s probably stood out, capturing as it does the moment where she got a high five from No. 15.

Mead said plans to attend the parade started coming together ahead of the big game itself – though perhaps carefully, to avoid affecting the outcome.

“I had discussed going with my family ‘if’ the Chiefs were to win the Super Bowl, starting on the day of the game,” she said. “I knew I would be attending the parade but had no real plan or ideas until the evening before.”

She was picked up from campus the morning of the parade and drove with her family to the beginning of the route in the River Market area, eventually finding a spot near the confetti canons and media booths. They then passed the time with card games until the procession finally started.

“Most of the buses stopped right in front of us, many players getting off and posing for the news cameras and interacting with fans,” Mead said.

The crowd was loud, she said, but got even louder and when quarterback Patrick Mahomes stepped off the bus on the opposite side of the street where Mead and her family was standing.

“I was just excited to see him, until he walked toward our side, almost directly to us,” she said. “We immediately got pushed to the fence as he was approaching. I stuck my hand out, got my camera ready, and he came right by and high-fived my hand.”

It was the culminating moment in a day that Mead said she will never forget — not just because of her encounter with Mahomes, but because of the opportunity to experience it alongside so many others

“I have a lot of gratitude for living in Kansas City and having a positive experience with the people around us and other Chiefs fans,” she said.