In particular, Arvina was a member of the branch of the Cornelii Cossi, which was descended from the 5th century Roman hero Aulus Cornelius Cossus, who achieved great renown by personally slaying Lars Tolumnius, the king of Veii, becoming one of only three Romans in recorded history to win the rare honor of the Spolia opima.
In 306 BC, Arvina was elected as consul for the first time, serving alongside Quintus Marcius Tremulus.
Additionally, the Hernici, who were allies of the Samnites, had been caught supplying them with troops the previous year, and thus declared war on Rome.
In order to combat these two enemies, the Senate assigned Arvina to fight the Samnites and Marcius to take on the Hernici.
After the battle, Arvina remained in Samnium, while Marcius returned to Rome to celebrate his triumph over his victory against the Hernici.