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BRISTOL, R.I. – If you’ve ever walked past the lockers on the first floor of the School of Law building, you’ve probably seen the flood of sticky notes that read positive affirmations. “Yesterday is a memory. Today is an opportunity.” “Be brave! Be bold! Be you!” “No worries. All smiles!”

Meet 2L Julian Manzo, the force behind the notes that have been spreading positivity and kindness throughout the community.

Why did you choose to study law at RWU? 

A few years ago, a close friend of mine was wrongly charged of a crime he didn’t commit. This injustice influenced my interest in studying law and going into the field, so seven years later after taking the LSAT, I decided to apply to 51����Law – my first and only choice. 

What motivated you to start posting sticky notes on fellow classmate’s lockers? 

My brother and I started a non-profit a few years ago because we felt strongly about bringing positivity into the world. Unfortunately, we never actually had the opportunity to bring the idea to fruition. However, one night earlier this semester, while working in the library, I saw some Post-It notes and thought “Why not use these as a way to bring positivity into the world?” 

How did you go about choosing the lockers? 

It was kind of random. I chose every locker that has a lock on it and I tried to spread them out as evenly as I could. I placed over 100 post-it notes the first two times. I tried to be as anonymous as I could be because I didn’t want any recognition for it. I just wanted to positively change somebody’s day and hopefully I did that. 

Have you personally seen anybody read them from afar or witness an unexpected reaction? 

I’ve actually seen some people share them on their Instagram or Snapchat story. People really seem to like it and that made me feel good. I walk by and those Post-it notes are still up after two months – that caught me by surprise because I thought some people would take them down or get annoyed by them. 

How do you think these messages can impact someone in a positive way? 

Law school in particular can be very stressful, and it’s hard to know what’s really going on in someone’s head. Often people mask their true feelings from time to time, making it difficult to know who’s having a good day or a bad day. I thought maybe a few positive messages could turn somebody’s day around. I now hope that the positivity they experience, sparks a chain, and affects others too. It’s a stressful time, and I hope that we’re able to all be as kind as we can and get each other through this. Law school is not like any other experience I’ve been through. If doing something as little as writing Post-it notes changed somebody’s mood, then it was worth it.