Mira Patel, print editor-in-chief
Mira Patel is a senior and the print editor-in-chief of The Shield. Now in her third year on staff, she previously served as design editor. As a visual arts major at McCallum, she is especially excited to highlight McCallum’s unique fine arts program. Among her favorite staff experiences last year were reporting on SXSW EDU and designing print covers. This year, she looks forward to guiding the print team in her new leadership role while also writing more stories. Outside the newsroom, Patel enjoys creating art, traveling and discovering new music.
![JONES TAKES THE LEAD: Junior Paityn Jones sings alongside co-star Pablo Arteaga in ‘Something to Hold Onto’ during act two of the McCallum Theater’s production of “Between the Lines.” Jones was cast in the lead role of Delilah in early May when auditions for the play were held, and began rehearsing in August.
“This is the longest process I’ve had since I’ve been doing theatre here,” Jones said. “It was so useful not only towards making our show better but for building a stronger connection with our cast.”
The unusually long rehearsal process posed some challenges to cast members, but it was nothing to complain about, according to Jones.
“It was hard because people had less free days and rehearsals began overlapping with events that typically are after we’ve already performed,” Jones said. “However, none of us felt the need to complain because we all equally enjoy being at rehearsals, and we do it because it makes us happy.”
Receiving the lead role came as a surprise to Jones, but she made the most of it and worked for months to prepare for the show.
“This role has definitely been the most challenging role I’ve had in many ways,” Jones said. “I was not at all expecting to play Delilah, so when I got the opportunity, I spent all summer working on it.”
Learning to play a character that was so different from herself in real life was difficult for Jones, as were some of the songs.
“[Delilah's] character is so different from me in real life, so I had to really do my homework on her,” Jones said. “Not only was it hard to act the part, but also to sing it, there were notes in her songs that I had never hit before and didn’t believe in myself to do, but I got to work with all of the wonderful directors on how to reach those hard notes.”
Even with the long rehearsals and difficult songs, Jones is proud of all the work put in by herself and the entire cast to create this year's showing of “Between the Lines”.
“I am so proud of us for putting our hearts and souls into this performance because we truly gave it our all,” Jones said. “Everyone truly deserves their flowers for how talented and special they are.”
Caption by Daniela Di-Capua.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/54913435589_6b54cb1bfe_o-1200x798.jpg)
![WISHFUL WINDOW SHOPPING: Senior Mia Plemons observes the displays in the MAC during the 5x7 gallery night. Although not a member herself, Plemons feels a connection to the program through her friends and peers. “I have a lot of friends in art,” Plemons said. “And I’ve seen a lot of their work and it’s all really nice and beautiful, and I really enjoy seeing some of the nice pieces people have made.” Plemons didn’t manage to secure a piece of her own, but left impressed by all the ones she saw. “I didn’t [have a favorite], every piece of art I saw was just absolutely breathtaking,” Plemons said. “I think they should definitely do more things like this in the future. I think it’s definitely great for people in the art program to get their art out there and getting experience with making things that people buy.” Caption by Noah Braun. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/54188247349_62510240f2_o-e1733894950394-1200x976.jpg)
![READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: Junior defensive end Nehemiah Trejo listens intently to head coach Thomas Gammerdinger's instructions for the team's next offensive possession against Anderson. Trejo praised the coaching staff for its work leading up to game.
“Our coaches did an excellent job preparing us for this game,” Trejo said. “They spent a lot of time game planning and reviewing our strategies. We saw many of the things we expected, and we came into the game focused and ready to give it our all.”
Trejo praised Coach Gammerdinger for his role in adapting during the game.
“Coach G was great at addressing what was working for us, correcting mistakes and improving communication,” Trejo said. “He reminded us that our defense had the capability to hold them back and make crucial stops.”
As for the game’s outcome, Trejo noted it was an intense fight but did not come as a surprise.
“It went exactly as we anticipated,” Trejo said. “Anderson came out with a strong offense, and it turned into a shootout between who could score more and who could get the most stops. We showed in the third quarter that we weren’t giving up and fought hard throughout [the game].”
Caption by Tristen Diaz. Photo by TC Brosnan.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/53969271626_31e4eaaa3f_o-1200x800.jpg)
