UALR student Vianca Cruz has been appointed the associate account executive of the Hispanic market for The Design Group, a multicultural communications firm.

The Design Group’s chief executive officer, Myron Jackson, made the announcement about Cruz’s appointment.

Born in Hidalgo, Mexico, Cruz moved to Arkansas in 2001. She is finishing up two bachelor’s degrees in international business and in international and second language studies with a concentration on Spanish.

To broaden her skills as a marketer, she completing a six-month exchange program in Madrid, Spain, where classes deepened her knowledge of the Spanish economy and its marketing and advertising strategies. She is expected to graduate in 2013.