Elizabeth Alvarado is a supervisory paralegal and coordinator with the Law Offices of Shirley Sadjadi. Elizabeth obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminal Justice from North Central College. During her studies, Ms. Alvarado was awarded funding to conduct two research studies in Guatemala regarding local restorative justice practices. Her findings were presented at the annual Ralls Symposium. The following year, Elizabeth was chosen to take a course about the United States and Mexico border, which immersed students in workshops with Border Angels, Customs and Border Patrol, and environmental scientists in San Diego, California. During this busy time, she also worked with the Law Offices as an intern completing FOIA requests, FBI background checks, and more. Through her research, experiences, and internship, Elizabeth became passionate about immigration and aiding others.
To better assist her community, Elizabeth later enrolled at DePaul University, where she obtained her Master of Science in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. Soon after graduating, she moved to the state of New Mexico and worked with the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. While at NMILC, Elizabeth was a paralegal and workshop coordinator for the asylum division. Upon her return to Illinois, she worked at a nationwide immigration firm before returning to the Law Offices. Ms. Alvarado has seven years of experience working in the field of immigration law and is fluent in both English and Spanish.