Nicole Mowers

2840 Londonderry Dr. Sacramento, CA 95827

(916) 207-7592
nicole.mowers15@gmail.com

Cornell Graduate Program: Communications

Statement of Interest

Dear Hiring Committee,

My interest in public speaking started when I was fifteen years old. My grandfather passed away
when I was fifteen and before he passed, he asked me to say a prayer at his funeral. The occasion
for public speaking was not buoyant; however, the moment I finished my speech in front of large
group of people, I knew from that moment forward I wanted to be a public speaker.
When I began my undergraduate career, I studied communications. I quickly learned that there is
so much more to communications than just writing and public speaking. As a student I developed
rhetorical knowledge and awareness of writing in these disciples through reading texts from a
variety of disciplines in a variety of genres; I was able to identify appropriate context-based
writing conventions; compose, informally and/or formally, in a variety of genres and developed
the ability to think critically about the values and standards or various disciplines.
In English 20, we read texts from a variety of disciplines. For example, we read Dan Melzer,
Understanding Writing Assignments: Tips and Techniques and John Swales, The Concept of
Discourse Community. These readings demonstrated the difference in disciplines to give the
student, me, a whole understanding of the world around writing. To fully grasp the concept of
what I was reading, I would highlight and annotate the articles and discuss the significance of the
article. By highlighting and annotating the article, I demonstrat the awareness of identifying
appropriate context-based writing conventions.
I conducted research and composed an annotated bibliography. My ability to research and
compose an annotated bibliography allowed me to develop rhetorical knowledge of the discipline
I was researching. The discipline communications is complex to many extremes.
Communications is not just about writing and speaking; there is so much more to
communications and the research allowed me to expand my knowledge of communications and
share that knowledge with others.
Over the course of the semester, I developed the ability to critically think about the values and
standards of various disciplines. There are several discourse communities and the discourse
community I focused on is communications. I interviewed a colleague from the Sacramento
Business Journal and she educated me about the community of communications in the business
world.

With the knowledge I possess, I am more than qualified for the Cornell Communications
Graduate Program. I want to expand my research in communications to engage and educate
others about communications and why its a key importance in the world we live in today. Thank
you for giving me the opportunity to apply for this program. I look forward to conducting my
research with your program.
Cordially,
Nicole Mowers