Can I Get an "Eeyah?" by Madeline

Can I Get an "Eeyah?" by Madeline - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

The principal passed me in the hall and after giving me a high-five said, “Can I get an eeyah?” By now, most everyone at school, even the principal and teachers, knows what “eeyah” means. I don’t know if it even has a real definition or is a real word, but I started saying it this year and, unexpectedly, now everyone at school does too. I got it from my grandma. She says it after anything and everything that happens. Good news or bad, happy or sad, it doesn’t matter. For her, “eeyah” is an appropriate response to just about anything. Naturally, hearing my grandma use it so frequently, I picked it up and started saying it. I first used it among my friends like “congratulations” or “good job,” but then they began saying it to their friends, and its usage expanded into larger friend groups and social media, taking on many different meanings. I started hearing “eeyah” in the halls, at lunch, and at games. Just last week, someone I didn’t know sent me a message using "eeyah," not knowing they were talking to the one who started it all. No way could I have predicted the social phenomenon that would result from just one word. It’s not that one person can make a difference in the world, one word can.

The positive difference in energy and unity at school because of “eeyah” is recognizable. At the football game, the leader of the student section got the attention of the crowd by calling out “eeyah.” It invigorated the crowd and created needed energy for the football team. I have seen students greet each other with “eeyah,” and others who don’t know what to say, but want to be accepted, throw an “eeyah” into the conversation and others just get it. The use of this word has connected the student body and created an element of fun that didn’t exist before. “Eeyah” finds its way into dialogue among teachers, students, and administrators. I hear it and can’t help but smile. It’s so simple, yet so impactful. Sometimes the biggest difference is made in the smallest ways. I love being part of a little more happiness at school, especially knowing my grandma couldn’t be prouder.