“The main reason I separated from my parents and came to the United States was to accomplish something bigger in life than what I could in Mexico. That is true not only for school and sports, but in everything that I do. I am motivated to accomplish at the highest level that I can in all areas of life.”
America is known around the globe as a land of seemingly boundless opportunity. Education, careers, and a diverse culture built upon the common, inalienable ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all readily available to its citizens.
Aldrich Alvarez, the now Coffee County soccer star, is already proving this to be true in his still young life.
“I was born here in the United States, but when I was about two years old, my parents and our whole family went to Mexico when my grandmother passed away,” Alvarez explained. “My parents didn’t have papers so they couldn’t come with us. When I turned 12, my brother and I got our passports to return to America, but our parents couldn’t come with us.”
In what was surely an incredibly difficult decision, Aldrich and his brother were sent to live with their aunt, go to school, and pursue a better life.
“The main reason I separated from my parents and came to the United States was to accomplish something bigger in life then what I could in Mexico,” Alvarez said. “That is true not only for school and sports, but in everything that I do. I am motivated to accomplish at the highest level that I can in all areas of life.”
Because of that decision, the soon-to-be 18-year-old, 4.0 GPA, multi-sport student-athlete has found his home in Coffee County, and he isn’t looking back.
At the core of it all? Soccer.
“Honestly, I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember,” Alvarez fondly recollected. “My brother and I would play around with my cousins in Mexico; we would be out in the streets playing day after day for long hours, just enjoying the game.”
Yet despite playing for most of his life, Alvarez really began to develop his game and become known as a feared competitor in high school.
“When I started to play in high school and at high levels, I started to learn the complexity of the sport,” he explained. “It’s not just about getting on the field and kicking the ball; it’s about having that mentality. You want to learn, you want to be as creative as the guys you see playing on T.V. You want to be as good as they are, and you strive for that every time you go out to practice.”
With that self-imposed standard set before him and an undeniable work ethic, the goal couldn’t be clearer.
“My ultimate goal with soccer is to play at a Division I school,” Alvarez definitively stated. “It is a big challenge with a lot of obstacles, but if God gives me the opportunity, I will do everything I can play at that level.”
With drive and passion emanating from his every word, it isn’t hard to believe that seeing him play at the next level is a realistic possibility. Yet at the same time, he isn’t putting all of his eggs in that basket.
“As much as I love soccer, I also realize that I can not give up on my studies for the game,” Alvarez confidently clarified.
“Whenever the day comes that my soccer career is over, the rest of my life will keep going. But even then, I will still play for fun and play as much as I can,” he said with a smile.
And that level of perspective from an 18-year-old is admittedly refreshing, yet such is often born out of hardship. Born and raised into difficult times, life for the Alvarez family hasn’t been easy by any means. Moving to Mexico after the death of his grandmother, the death of his father when Aldrich was only two years old, financial difficulties, and the eventual separation from his family to pursue life in the U.S. could have been enough to squash dreams and paralyze a child.
For Aldrich, however, it had the opposite effect. He saw opposition as a challenge, used difficulty as fuel, and continues to do so today. He diligently works to balance working on sports with working on his studies with working a job to help support his family.
Passionate pursuit of personal development. Respect for the game. Focus on academics. Maturity forged through the fire of trial.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” Alvarez expressed. “My past has made me who I am today, so I am looking forward, not backwards.”
In the Game / South Georgia / January 2017
Aldrich Alvarez / Coffee County
One Goal:
Written by Cole Parker
Photos courtesy of Micki K Photography
