It was one day after the inauguration of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, and her first day on the job as deputy director of scheduling. One of Amanda Moore's duties that Sunday afternoon was a walk-through in preparation for an event the following morning.

Having never even taken "the 50-cent tour" of the White House, she suddenly found herself walking out of the West Wing into the Rose Garden on her way to the residence.

"It was definitely my 'awe' moment. That area is what you always see on television and in the movies, and there I was thinking, 'How did I get here?'"

A Houston native, Moore's route to the White House began as a political science major at Southwestern. While on campus, she served as president of Delta Delta Delta, sat on the University Discipline Committee and was a member of Young Republicans. In 1995 she participated in a Washington Semester, a cooperative program with American University in Washington, D.C., that offers opportunities for course work and internships in politics, economics and foreign policy. There she worked for Representative Bill Archer (R-Tex). The experience convinced her to pursue a career in politics.

"I thought it was great. I hoped that I could eventually make it back to D.C., but I wasn't sure how I would do that. The following year I got an internship with Governor Bush."

She worked for George W. Bush's office throughout her senior year and describes her official duties then as "whatever needed to be done that day," including cleaning the office, transcribing speeches, driving visitors around town and general damage control. "It was good exposure because I got a feel for the broad scope of the office."

After graduating, she went to work as a scheduler at the Capitol. In December, she was asked to join the newly-elected President Bush in D.C., adding that while she felt very rooted in Austin, she needed to "finish what she started."

Scheduling the life of the President is a bigger chore than one would imagine. A staff of nine regularly works 12-hour days attending to every last detail of his day. The scheduling office regularly coordinates efforts with most government agencies, and Moore works closely with the Secret Service.

"Every day, the President gets hundreds of letters asking for his time – anything from invitations to children's birthday parties to a family asking him over to have meat loaf. You wouldn't believe some of the mail we get."

Although she only sees President Bush once or twice each month, she says over the years she has grown very attached to him and First Lady Laura Bush. "You find out more about their personal life than you could ever imagine. I've become very loyal to him. I work every day to make his life easier. I would have a difficult time working for any other politician."

When asked where she plans to go post-Presidency of "W," she remarks, "I've said many times that this will be my last job in politics. After working here, everything else seems boring. I'll have to do something completely different, like live on a cattle ranch and plant flowers all day. Either way, I'd definitely like to get back to Texas."

-Greg Holland