Editor’s note: The Daily’s editorial department acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Commencement 2026 that does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices.
Leading the Daily through turbulent political events and profound personal challenges, former Editor in Chief Julieta Grané departs with the lifelong friendships and memories she’s made.
Grané, a graduating senior majoring in biology, will depart the Daily at the end of this semester, having served as an executive opinion editor, a managing editor and editor in chief throughout her time with the paper.
During the summer following her senior year of high school, Grané was diagnosed with lymphoma, forcing her to take a gap year to undergo treatment. Grané was still receiving treatment during her first two years at Tufts, profoundly altering her college experience.
“College is supposed to be [lived] with people and around people. When you’re sick, you have to be away from people. You’re immunocompromised, [so] you can’t really talk to people,” Grané said.
Grané joined the Daily to provide her a sense of normalcy as she began her journey at Tufts, in order to not feel defined by her illness.
“I joined the Daily because I couldn’t go out so much. I couldn’t do normal college [first-year] things,” Grané said. “The Daily gave me a good home. I had a separate identity that wasn’t … ‘sick person,’ but just, ‘writer.’”
She began her time at the Daily in the Opinion section, where she helped foster a sense of camaraderie amongst writers. Grané cites the Opinion section as her “first community” at Tufts.
“We grew up a section that had historically been very individual … and then it became more of a group of people who thought together, which I really loved,” Grané said. “By the time I was exec, I loved the group that we formed [even more].”
Grané became the executive editor for the Opinion section in fall 2023. Unbeknownst to her, she would be leading the section during one of the most politically turbulent periods in university history.
“Being opinion exec when Oct. 7 happened was busy. I think people had a lot of initial thoughts and opinions and really found a space to express them in the Opinion section, which I appreciate, because it is a forum that encouraged transparency,” she said. “I didn’t always agree with the opinions that we were publishing, but that’s also part of it.”
All the while, Grané was still dealing with the reality of cancer. Grané recalled having to handle the responsibilities of being an executive editor while being hospitalized.
“I distinctly remember editing from the hospital one day because we had production,” she said. “Having cancer was really a challenge.”
Her time on the managing board was also marked by political turmoil on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks. Grané described how the team aspect of the managing board made it easier to cover particularly tense moments, such as the Tufts Community Union Senate resolutions on Tufts’ ties to Israel.
“It was all very collaborative,” Grané said. “It definitely eased the pressure to be right or to perform that you have everything under control.”
Grané shared that the skills she gained from the Daily have helped her in “every step of the way” as she prepares for post-graduation. After Tufts, Grané plans to go into health law, where she hopes to combine her interests in writing, science and advocacy.
Outside of the Daily, Grané has been an active part of the Tufts community, having served as a TCU Senator, a teaching assistant for Tufts University Prison Initiative, an intern at the Latinx Center and an Experimental College instructor. Grané emphasized the importance of students taking advantage of the opportunities available to them at Tufts.
“When you have the chance to do and see so many things and meet so many people, you should take [it],” she said.
