Alvarez’s qualitative research focuses on the multilingual and academic writing practices of self-outed undocumented young adults in the South and New York City. Her past research ethnographically examined the multilingual social media literacy practices among second-generation Latin@ youth and their transnational families in Kentucky. Alvarez is the winner of the 2017 Chairs’ Memorial Scholarship at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and the 2015 Early Career Educator of Color Leadership Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). She is also co-recipient of the 2015 Research Initiative Award from CCCC. Her publications have appeared in the journals Equity and Excellence in Education and The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, among others.