Meet Alfredo Arvide
Growing up in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico on the border with El Paso, Texas, Alfredo can fondly remember playing soccer in the dusty, dry heat sometimes on the street or sometimes on the field but always pretending he’s playing the World Cup Final, enjoying the simple life, making friends, and learning about teamwork. Reflecting back to his childhood, Alfredo can remember spending a lot of time with his family and perhaps not knowing how important that would become to him as he is now a loving husband and a dedicated dad of four Arvides. Leo is the oldest son at just eight years old; Lukas, age six; Lorenzo, age four; and, Lynda, at one-and-a-half years old. When you ask Alfredo what keeps him up at night, he is quick to answer, “making sure my kids have everything they need.”
Alfredo’s unique story of leaving the nest earlier than what’s typical for most Hispanic families, is how he ended up in Houston. Alfredo went to Cathedral High School in El Paso and took the plunge to attend college with what would be considered extremely far away for a tight-knit family and went to fight with the Irish at the University of Notre Dame. That’s where the love story begins. Alfredo met his wife, Melissa, and just one week before they graduated from college, they tied the knot, were married in 2005 and began a life in Chicago, but not for long. In 2009, Alfredo’s wife was feeling chilled from the cold and was ready to make Houston home again.
Alfredo’s been living in Houston ever since. “I consider it my home; I’ve been here a long time now and this is where my kids were born. This is where I want my kids to live and grow up. To me, Houston is going to be my hometown for me moving forward, forever.” For Alfredo, moving to Houston and experiencing the amazing diversity was a big deal. “That was the biggest change for me, to experience the diversity. I want my kids to grow up in the diversity and with that mentality that there is more out there.”
There are some cool things you need to know about Alfredo Arvide. Alfredo has visited more than 40 countries and during those travels absolutely fell in love with another diverse city, Singapore, where the people are friendly and it’s just an all-around good place to be. He is one of 35,000 volunteers that lends a helping hand at the grand annual Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show. Yep, you read that right – 35,000 volunteers! When he’s not volunteering, Alfredo’s personal mission is to one day spend more time using his hands and creativity to build beautiful woodworking pieces and expand on his passion for carpentry.
When asked what advice Alfredo would give his 18-year-old self if he could go back in time, he wisely stated to be more assertive. His advice to his younger self would be to listen to people’s advice, but do what works for you and confidently go after the opportunities presented before you as you might not have the chance later in life.
