JBC Runs Successful ‘Think Positive, Be Positive’ Campaign

When visiting the Jamestown Business College campus, guests might see students and staff smiling a lot -- for good reason.

Coming to the tail end of the term, students have been riding a wave of positivity thanks to a campaign that took the college by storm. The "Think Positive, Be Positive" campaign started out as a way to combat negative thoughts and was a part of the Successful U program, but soon became popular with the rest of the student body, faculty and staff, said Pam Reese, dean of the college.

The Successful U program is a program for students that focuses on personal accountability, time management, financial management and more.

Reese said the idea really began at a meeting she attended where statistics regarding daily thoughts were brought up. The statistics pointed out that each person had approximately 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day and up to 80 percent of them are negative. Many times, those thoughts are repetitive, Reese added.

As a part of the Successful U program, Reese said the campaign was born. The campaign involved a positive quote competition on Facebook, decorated bulletin boards throughout the school and a pledge created by one of JBC's English classes which students and staff posted to a wall in the school with their signatures. The college also handed out bright yellow bracelets imprinted with the words, "Be Positive" as a friendly reminder to focus on the good things in life.

"It was a great, energetic campaign," Reese said. "I've had two students come and ask if they could have bracelets for other activities they're doing -- they wanted to spread it."

She said it has been helpful throughout the college because it has caused a wave of positive thought for everyone involved.

"As humans, we're prone to the negative, so (being positive) is something you have to focus on," Reese said.

Jessica Halftowne, General Education and Marketing faculty member, said the campaign has integrated really well into the classroom. Her class, English 151, created the pledge. Halftowne said the campaign has helped keep the positivity going for the entire team.

Elizabeth Torres, JBC student, said the campaign helped her and her classmates overcome their nervousness.

"It helped us all together," Torres said. "You come around everyone with a smile on their face -- and you put a smile on your face."

She said the campaign made her realize she could handle all the things on her plate while juggling work, college, managing a home and more.

Aylianne Gonzalez-Mercado, JBC student, said when she first signed up to return to college, she didn't feel she could go through with it.

"For me, coming back to college was a struggle," Gonzalez Mercado said, adding the campaign gave her the courage to continue and made her feel welcome at the same time. "It's just good to be around positive people. It makes you want to be positive. It united us as a family and it made it a fun experience also."

Joalexis Martir, JBC student, said he hasn't taken off his bracelet since he got it. When he heard the statistics about negative thoughts, the idea impacted him and he took up the campaign with interest.

"It's something I'm using with my own little kids," Martir said.

For more information on the campaign or JBC, visit www.JBC.edu or find them on Facebook under "Jamestown Business College."