CNN political strategist and millennial trailblazer Symone Sanders was in true form on Wednesday night, as she graced the stage during the ESSENCE Festival 2018 Sponsor Preview event in New York City.

During a quick sit down with ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. DeLuca in Time Inc’s Luce Auditorium, Symone shared words of praise for the ESSENCE Festival and took a brief stroll down memory lane to revisit some of the most unforgettable moments of her career thus far.

“ESSENCE Festival provides the perfect space for entertainment and media movers of the culture to collide,” Symone said.

Among the handful of other topics that came up during the discussion was the infamous CNN news segment this past August, which saw former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli tell Symone to “shut up” live on air. Cuccinelli’s comment was made as the two engaged in a heated debate over GOP apologists stopping short of condemning the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. 

Symone remembered struggling to tame her response to the classless, inappropriate outburst from Cuccinelli and keep in mind that she was still on national television.

“I had to react for women across the globe who have been given the proverbial, ‘Shut Up,’ she told the NYC audience. 

Despite attempts from various men in power attempting to silence Symone and other fearless women like her, the 27-year-old leader looks forward to inspiring other young girls who follow in her footsteps to be all that she is and more.

“I hope somewhere there’s a little girl watching and saying, ‘I can say that better than her,’ she concluded. “And I hope she gets her chance.”