SPRING ISD – Jesus Centeno, a junior at Dekaney High School, recently learned that he has quite a bit in common with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. He didn’t learn it through second-hand information either. Centeno heard it straight from the attorney general himself during his recent visit to Dekaney High School.
Centeno has a disability that requires him to use a wheel chair. The attorney general, who also uses a wheel chair for mobility, came to Dekaney specifically to meet with Centeno and assure him that people in wheel chairs can have long and productive lives. Speaking from personal experience, Attorney General Abbott told Centeno that the more he focuses on pursuing his dreams, the more his concerns about his physical disability will go away.
“He is like a testimony to me,” Centeno said. “Even though he is in a wheel chair, he is the Texas attorney general. It doesn’t matter whether you can walk or not, you can still accomplish anything you want.”
Centeno was paralyzed in a car accident in 2005, and the past six years have been challenging for him. He first learned about Attorney General Abbott last year when he worked on a research project in the Digital Interactive Media class at Dekaney. His teacher, Regina Garceau, noticed Centeno’s interest in the attorney general and began seeking an opportunity for the two of them to meet.
During their recent meeting, Attorney General Abbott and Centeno discovered they have more than one similarity. They spent about 15 minutes talking one-on-one about their shared interests in history, current affairs and politics. Attorney General Abbott complimented Centeno on being a “smart young man who is far more confident than I was at your age.”
Following his visit with Centeno and members of Centeno’s family, the attorney general spoke to about 125 students who are enrolled in government classes at Dekaney.
He told the students how he had once been able to do all the things they are able to do. He was a young man when a tree fell on him while he was jogging, and he became partially paralyzed.
“You never know when things like this are going to happen. Your lives aren’t defined by how you are challenged but how you choose to respond to that challenge,” he said.
During a question-and-answer session following his remarks to the student assembly, the Dekaney students impressed Attorney General Abbott with thoughtful, intelligent questions about the death penalty, protecting children against Internet predators, immigration laws and the war in Afghanistan.
“He listens to you. You ask him questions and he responds back. It was a very good experience meeting the attorney general. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time,” Centeno said.
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