Governor Ferguson appoints CWU student trustee for 2025-26

Each year, Washington’s governor selects one Central Washington University student to serve as a voting member on our Board of Trustees, representing the student body at the heart of what we do.

This year, Governor Bob Ferguson has selected senior Theatre Arts major Vy Frolov to be the board’s student voice.

Frolov grew up just south of Portland, graduating from Wilsonville High School in 2020. While they were heavily involved in theatre during high school, they initially elected to pursue a degree in medicine, chasing a higher paycheck. While earning an associate degree from Portland Community College, after in-person classes had resumed following the Covid-19 pandemic, Frolov felt called back to the stage. Luckily, they had heard about a school in Washington that just might have the program to help them get there.

“At PCC, there were a lot of people who had gone to Central for theatre, and had a lot of good things to say about the experiences and opportunities they had here,” they said. “I had gotten to work in theatre on a smaller scale and really enjoyed it, so the puzzle pieces just kind of fit together and I moved to Ellensburg.”

Once they had settled in, Frolov immediately became actively involved in the campus community, sensing their passion for civic engagement reawaken after a pandemic-fueled dormancy.

“While I did a lot of technical theatrics in high school, I also enjoyed being involved in campus clubs and community organizations,” Frolov said. “I started getting back into that once things started being in person again and joined 88.1 The Burg and several theatre organizations here.”

As the student trustee, Frolov plans to draw on their rich and varied background in several different fields, in order to best represent the interests of the entire student body.

“As a transfer student with a background in both science and art, I feel like I bring a unique perspective to the table,” they said. “Academic needs differ greatly from student to student, and an approach that would benefit someone studying engineering or physics might be counterproductive for someone in theatre or music. Being able to represent my fellow students starts with understanding their needs.”

As someone who likes keeping their options open and their horizons broad, Frolov isn’t sure what comes next following graduation next June. What they do know is that their experience at CWU, and as a member of the Board of Trustees, will serve as the foundation for a lifetime of deep engagement in their community and career.

“Life, for me, is more of a delta than a straight river, in that there are many directions I can see it going, and there are many things I’d like to pursue in the realm of theatre,” Frolov said. “Regardless of what comes next, my experience with the Board of Trustees will familiarize me with interacting and communicating in that kind of high-level leadership setting, which will be helpful in any work environment.”