School with Papi Diva is an open-source blog where Papi Diva shares his open notes on life, resources, drawings, and almost everything on the World Wide Web. This blog is an area for decompression through discussion & design. The School of Papi Diva honors critique, commentary, creativity, and most importantly, the connection of language and principles to create democracy through design.

Design / Thesis follow up

Iconography Updates

The Study of Iconography

Part of current School for Papi Diva research:



I explored Mac Os icon design and created multiple fun assets for my personal studio computer and elements to compliment PAPIDIVA.COM – dating back to June 2025

Today I spent time designing apps for my professional interface – less creative, and more startegic apporach towards building a recognizable eye to my name, and developing philosophy(?)

School with Papi Diva App honored the “S” – it’s unique form that fools between a scribble and graffiti intruiged me. It plays a game with the eye. It feels like Roccawear – dare do I say masculine. It is an complete different approach from the glossy...

PAPIDIVA.COM App begins with the diamond-crusted heart/star icon. A gem-like combination of my soul and body, my femininity and masculinity. 

ESL (English as Second Language) / Art

Hope as Protest

Painting signage as a voice and message to generate hope and action 

08.10.2025 (But thinking about 15 years ago...)



In the 6th grade, I met a new ESL teacher, after being guided how to speak English K - 5 by Mrs. Zito. I was transitioning into a new era of my life; middle school.

My new ESl teacher stood tall, like skyscrapers. Los pies junto, de pie con esperanza, (Her feet together, standing with hope) infront of the cold-beige classroom.

“I am Señora Santiago. I am not a New Yorker. I am not a Puerto Rican – I am what you call a New Yorkrican.”

La Señora Santiago era stricta, poderosa, (strict, powerful) and did not teach us English. La Señora Santiago taught us how to be Good Latinos; well-rounded, intelligent, and grateful. Señora’s hair curled like sunflower meadows. She wore the savory palette of the fruity Carribean Seas everyday.

The end of the school bell day would ring, schools of fish, diverse as oceans, would flood the hallways – racing toward the suburbs or the projects. Our middle school sat right in between community housing and palaces, or so they seemed, with large green yards and crystal doors. The day would end and she’d command the hallway near the exit, holding a bright yellow sign, all capital letters, without saying a word:

Latinos are intelligent.

That wasn’t a reminder.
Eso era una prometa (That was a promise).

7 years later, Señora and I had bumped into eachother during my freshman year of college. She retired being an ESL teacher and pursed an Art degree in her free-time.

During our Computer Graphics course icebreaker, she stood up in front of the class and introduced herself:

“Excuse me class, I am sorry for standing up but I used to teach that young man, Mikey, the boy hiding his face in the corner. Yes, him right there! I want to highlight this beautiful moment, how a teacher can become a student again, and now we both learn Computer Graphics together.”

I was embarrassed.

After class I caught up to her, and reminded her about her bright yellow sign. How it stuck with me forever. We were collected in-between new young adults, and the cute boys of the campus. Señora Santiago screamed and I was embarrassed again!

“Señora! What!”

Speaking mad, she caressed my face, began to cry and weeped “You children would run so fast out of that school, running towards trouble. I prayed everyday my message stuck with someone, anyone, and it did.”

“Señora, but I am only one student! It’s not so serious. Just a memory.”

“I touched one soul. I changed the life of one man. One intelligent man, and you saw me, and like I taught you in ESL, gratitude, one is better than none...”

♥︎

Señora Santiago, I cry while I write this blog post because I felt your spirit pass through me the other day. Salsa played, musica de El Malo, Willie Colon, and the summer sun charged me. My head hurt as I cried to La Murga de Nueva Yol. 

Señora, I am intelligent. I am proud. I am strong. I speak two languages, and like you, I am a New Yorker motherfucker, soy peligroso! (I am dangerous).

I feel you and I cry, not because of pain, but because I feel the power of our people. 

You’ve inspired me to teach people the beauty of Spanish, to be proud of my grit, and to love my mom.

You taught me Hope as Protest.

Te amo Señora Santiago, Gracias...

How Do We Keep New York, New York?

07.30.2025

I have been crying to Salsa everyday. Not because I am in pain, but because the beat is so sweet – un ritmo con Esperanza, un sangre de Poder, lagrimas de Fantasia. 

New York is changing, Latinos are being stolen, silenced, lived over, deep in the stacks of the bricks. Cool-poser kids forget who the streets belong too, so maybe my tears come from erasure, but mis movimentos, aplaudo bajo de el Sol, balinado con color. (But my movements, my claps under the sun, dancing in color)


It is a dance. It is a march. Eso es la murga de Nueva Yol.

Music Class:

Music Class with Apolo

06.06.2025

Sadly, the start of June hasn’t been too hot, despite the Pride kick-off, I start June with no hot water, gas, and I love me a damn shower in these stressful times.

Apolo invited me over to his apartment, a borough over, but actually a 10 block walk if you’re familiar with the Ridgewood/Bushwick split. Apollo is a aesthete - a lover of arts, dancer and never-turned-to-be teacher. He is Mexican-Texan who recently moved to New York.

We met up for an early morning gym session not too far. Shared a post-workout breakfast of garbanzo beans over eggs and protein-rich yogurt. We discussed democracy in literature,and our summer flings that died well before the summer solstice.

Talked about love, and companiononship, and how I spent years yearning for love, and how Apolo isn’t a yearner himself. Summer is looking single for us, and we’re okay with that – delighted actually.

The summer heat makes me tired, and after our breakfast Apolo offered to serenade me to sleep, estilo latino a tratar me con un desayuna y un canción de su coroazon.  

Rather than talk about it, I’d like to show exercise this part of my blog with a musical guest, Music Class with Apolo Nava-Mojica, where he warms up his new instrument and venture with the violin.

Current Studies/Homework:

How do we keep New York, New York? is an on-going personal study of mine – watching the transformation of New York, and the documentation of it’s time, culture, and identity through various mediums.

I am not really a movie person which made me decide to use film/videos as starting place to explore mediums that question New York through mulitple themes.

Recent  Watches

1. Do the Right Thing (1989), Spike Lee
   
2. No Free Walls (2016), Complex Networks
3. Sex and the City (1998), HBO
4. Air Force 1: An Urban Legend (2010), YouTube
5. Dear Mama (2023), Hulu
6. Cheetah Presents, Fania All-Stars Live (1970s)

Recent  Anecdotes

1. What happened to my New York, Nasir Colwell

Recent  Events Attended

1. The Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City

Supporting Materials: 

Semester-long readings:

Teaching to Transgress, education as the practice for freedom, bell hooks

Chapter 8, In the Classroom

Chapter 9, In The Classroom Right Now
“Growing Affirmations.”

Chapter 10, Building a Classroom Community
“The classroom doesn’t honor stardom.”

Chapter 11, Language
“Don’t Lose Your Vanacular!”

The Study of Iconography

Design Practice 

Sweet-icons.psd
Icons designed for personal computer

Papi Diva Visits Pratt:

A Motivational Lecture on Shifting Perspectives

Papi Diva’s lecture at Pratt Institute encouraged Scott Santoro’s Professional Practice Communication Design class to shift their perspective on wealth in designing media: social, financial, spiritual, emotional, and physical.

The 1-hour lecture provided personal anecdotes from Papi Diva’s experience in the fashion-cultural media scene in Brooklyn, with the advice for students to give passion to their purpose.

Recess/Field Trip:

“I don’t care if you’re losing – still fight back”

Got It On Me, Pop Smoke




* Scanned journal page from plane ride to Chicago, a visitar my hermanito y su famila (to visit my brother and his family)

I had 2 hours to kill on an early morning 5AM flight to Chicago. I was making way to visit my brother, Vaquero, who I met at Pratt Institute years ago. I was channeling in some deep-competetive Boxing energy, aligning with one of my favorite lyircs by Pop Smoke – reminding me to keep going, no matter what.

Mi Papito Bendicido, Bad Bunny

(My blessed baby, Bad Bunny)
Charocoal on 18” x 24” 




LA MUNDANZA, Bad Bunny

“Aqui mataron gente por sacar la bandera
Por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera, cabrón, que fue?”

“Here they killed people for taking out their flags,
That’s why I take mine everywhere I go”