I’m overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude to share that Leila Bunker, one of our current news editors, will be stepping into the role of editor-in-chief for the 2025–2026 academic year. Bunker has been a part of The Spectator since the start of her college journey—beginning as a staff reporter and layout designer in 2022 and spending the last two years leading the news section with thoughtful intentionality and passion.
I find Bunker’s telling of their first time in The Spectator office to be an almost comically allegorical representation of her dedication to The Spectator; an infectious enthusiasm that calls on others to join in their pursuit of excellence.
“I was excited and committed to it enough to have come to a meeting before there was actually a meeting. Before the meetings started for the 2022-2023 academic year…[I was] sitting in the waiting area with all the editors in the other room, [who were] obviously not expecting anyone to be here,” Bunker said.
Bunker and I joined The Spectator at the same time (despite my absence at her week-early office arrival) and having the chance to work alongside her vibrant, effervescent presence has been one of the greatest honors of my time here. Entering the editor’s room every Wednesday night, I am warmed by her bright exclamations. In moments of uncertainty and doubt, it is this radiance that both comforts and moves me.
Bunker has the deeply necessary and deeply rare gift of truly seeing others—a gift with which she draws upon to highlight the loveliness of the individual and collective alike. More than just a friendly spirit, Bunker is a true friend to the people around her.
“It has been so special to make friends here and to be here Monday and Wednesday nights and to come together with these people and be in close proximity to others who just really care about the work that we do here.”
Bunker has highlighted a sense of togetherness as a critical aspect of both The Spectator and their leadership. While her initial foray into The Spectator began as an attempt to find community, it has since grown into a wish to use community as a catalyst for discussion and progress—two key values and tenets of their character that undergird the manner in which she moves about life.
“Over time, what kind of stemmed as ‘I want to find community’ has shifted into ‘Well, how can I actually give back to the community that I’m a part of?’—Using writing as a tool for storytelling that can be effective in fostering dialogue and, hopefully, change.”
In a time where journalism is being attacked, censored and devalued on both large and small scales, I find solace in knowing that The Spectator is in the hands of someone with such a deep care for the truth, and all that differing shades of actuality that truth may be.
Journalism, ultimately, is about serving the community through the act of storytelling. In order to do so, it requires the voices of many. Bunker is passionate about continuing to foster a community of openness and acceptance at The Spectator. When asked what legacy they hoped they would leave as editor-in-chief, she replied:
“I hope that people know that it is a place that they can come to despite experience and show up either because they want to write or they want to be connected with the people that are doing the writing. I’m sure a lot of other editors and editors-in-chief share a similar feeling of The Spectator being perceived as something that is very scary. I want to find a way to make it more welcoming for everyone, which I think is everyone’s goal.”