Editor’s Note:  The following interview was done by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives.

Tony Aranda is well-known in Whitewater for his dedication, passion and leadership of the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club (Whitewater United FC), a local parent-driven organization that welcomes soccer players from ages 4 to 17. 

Soccer is his passion.  He said, “I feel that is where I really help the community.  It’s something I’ve been doing since 2008.”

Tony Aranda came to the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico at age 10, and has made Whitewater his home ever since.  In Mexico, baseball was his sport.  In fact, he tried to set up baseball games at Twin Oaks as a youngster.  He never played soccer in Mexico, but learned at recess in America.  One of the local coaches (Pedro Duran) needed players so he asked him to play.  Thus, Tony’s soccer passion began at about age 13.

As a youngster, he participated in the soccer club he now coaches.  He was inspired by all of his coaches who really helped students.   One of his coaches was Richard Telfer, who to him was a coach and dad to one of the players (Gavin) – he didn’t find out until later that he was the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at that time.  Dr. Telfer and other coaches drove him to and from soccer, and Tony remembers that was key to his participation – both of his parents worked so the rides were crucial.   Now he pays it forward by driving his soccer players to games.

Since age 14 Tony has always played soccer and worked.  He is the sixth of 11 children, and wanted to make sure to help his parents.  At age 14 he had one newspaper route (The Janesville Gazette) that he later expanded into four routes.  At age 16 he worked at an egg farm in Cold Spring.  He cleaned buildings and worked the weekends to relieve the regular full-time staff.  He worked to pay for his own soccer shoes, clothing etc.  His many jobs included working at a restaurant, a financial company as well as translating for the owner of a landscaping company.

His goal as a teen was to be the first in his family to graduate from high school.  After graduation in 2000, he went to work at an asbestos-removal business in the Milwaukee area.  He realized how physically difficult the job was, and decided he wanted to go to school.

Tony has many wonderful memories of Whitewater community members.   Roni Telfer spent time with him and planted a seed – she offered to help him secure a scholarship to attend UW-Whitewater at Rock County and then UW-Whitewater.

“I love Whitewater.  I’ve been to Florida, California and visited many other states but there is something special about Whitewater.  It’s a small town that is also a big city,” said Tony.

Tony attended UW-Rock and then UW-Whitewater for about two and a half years, and then had to determine how to handle work, school and then having a newborn.  He made the tough decision to stop attending school but was grateful for the experience.  He now works for the Water Department at the City of Whitewater and co-owns ARANDA, a clothing store at 177 West Main Street that also specializes in custom-made clothing and personalized jerseys. He also manages family-owned rental properties in the Whitewater community.

Tony’s dad came to the United States when he was 16 and worked in many states as a seasonal worker.  He applied for the amnesty offered during the Reagan administration, became a resident, and then began applying to bring his family.  Tony lived with his grandmother in Mexico for two years until his father was able to bring him to the U.S.  He remembers that his mom left to come to the U.S. before he did, and when she called him to talk he was so happy.  He said, “I was excited about what I heard – that being in the states allowed many opportunities.”  Tony became a United States Citizen at age 18.  He took the test and thought it was very simple, because he had learned most of it at school. 

He said, “I remember Whitewater having a very supportive community.”   One of those supporters was Jim Winship. “I remember him helping our families.  He would try to bring the Hispanic community together and help with food and toys. I remember people like this and it makes me want to continue giving back,” said Tony.

His family first lived in Twin Oaks.  He didn’t speak English when he arrived, but he remembers learning so much from his ESL teachers at Lakeview Elementary School and then at Washington Elementary School.

It wasn’t until Middle School that he realized not everyone liked him because of where he was from.  “This is not the America I thought it was at 10 years old.”  So he decided, instead of sticking with people that looked like him he would reach out and step out of his comfort zone.  He said, “We should reach out to people too.  We don’t have to wait for them to reach out.”

Now as a soccer coach, he encourages young people to reach out to other students. 

Tony is a board member and coach for Whitewater United FC, the local Whitewater youth soccer club.  The club has more than 50 players under age 8.  “When it comes to helping the community I’m not only focused on kids whose lives were like mine, I want to help coach everyone,” he said.

Whitewater United FC is a volunteer parent-run organization in Whitewater, Wisconsin that provides select and recreational soccer opportunities for kids aged 4-17. For the recreational soccer program, there are no tryouts or “cuts.” All properly registered players will play. The teams are organized by age group and play either locally (non-traveling), or in a county-wide traveling league called the Stateline District and the Select teams play in SECL. Other members of this league include Big Foot, Burlington, Delavan, East Troy, Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, and Williams Bay. The Whitewater teams play games on Saturdays and generally practice no more than two nights per week.  

Tony invites other adults to volunteer for Whitewater Youth Soccer or other groups.  He said, “Adults need to shape the community by shaping young ones. We should never give up on our youth.  Adults need to plant a seed, and some harvest takes longer, but we need to plant – especially for those in need.”

 More information about Whitewater United FC can be found at whitewatersoccer.com