Monica Lewinsky has found herself a new place back in the public eye. The former White House intern, whose name became an international punchline after news broke of her affair with then President Bill Clinton in 1998, delivered a speech at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia, after more than a decade of ducking the limelight. She spoke about her own experience with public humiliation and cyberbullying, and her mission to fight the phenomenon of online torment. This follows the publishing of an article she wrote for Vanity Fair in June about the “Culture of Humiliation.”

After commenting on her nervousness, Lewinski introduced herself to the sizeable crowd, saying, “My name is Monica Lewinsky, though I have often been advised to change it – or asked why on earth I haven’t.” After commenting on the how young the audience was, Lewinsky joked, “It might mean, though, that some of you are asking, ‘who the hell is Monica, and what is she doing here,’” before adding, “Or even, ‘what is she doing in all of those rap lyrics.’”

Lewinsky went on to explain how as a 22-year-old, fresh out of college, “I fell in love with my boss, in a 22-year old sort of way.” Her boss, of course, was the President of the United States. Lewinsky explained that she now deeply regrets having had the affair, but, “at that time, it was my everything.” The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, though, when the relationship became “public with a vengeance.”

Lewinsky detailed the extreme shaming she endured, saying, “I was Patient Zero, the first person to have their reputation completely destroyed worldwide via the Internet.” She described the experience of having her humiliation go viral through websites like the Drudge Report. “Staring at the computer screen,” She explained, “I spent the day shouting, ‘oh my god!’ and ‘I can’t believe they put that in’… and those were the only thoughts that interrupted a relentless mantra in my head; ‘I want to die.”

In 2010, after years of trying to put the ordeal behind her only to have it cast a shadow on every aspect of her life, Lewinsky read about Tyler Clementi – a Rutgers Freshman who killed himself after being bullied on line. Lewinsky explained that Clementi, whose torment resulted from his roommate filming and posting a video of him kissing another man, “Is one of the principle reasons I am standing here today.” She continued that, “I too might have been humiliated to death.”

After meeting with Clementi’s parents, who launched the Tyler Clementi Foundation for LGBT youth and allies, Lewinsky says she found her calling. “Having survived myself,” Lewinsky explained, “What I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive too. I want to put my suffering to good use, and to give purpose to my past.” Lewinsky did not detail a specific plan of action to her new mission, but if the audience reception to her address was any indication, she is off to a very good start.