The HBCU First LOOK Film Festival is back for its second year, and we are already in for a real treat! The festival announced today that Power Star Naturi Naughton-Lewis will be this year’s keynote speaker. Lewis will speak on power, passion, and perseverance. Last year’s moderator Loni Love will moderate the festival once again this year.

In an interview with Fox 5’s Good Day DC, she talks about the upcoming festival, her parents HBCU ties, and gave advice to women who want to be where she is. She expressed the importance of using her voice and her celebrity platform to help shed light on HBCUs. Although Lewis did not attend an HBCU, she shared that both of her parents and her brother are Shaw University graduates. When asked what her message to women would be who want to do what she does but feel they lack a “certain look” to do so. Her advice was to “stay grounded and remember who you are.” She also said, “Don’t let other people define your greatness because you are enough.”

Many people know Lewis from her role as Tasha St. Patrick on the Starz hit shows Power and Power Book II: Ghost, but many don’t know she started out as a singer. Lewis was in a girl group along with former Cheetah Girls members Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams. The group 3LW, short for “3 Lil Women,” rose to popularity in the early 2000s with their hit songs “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right)” and “Plays Gon’ Play.” After leaving 3LW in 2002, she briefly had a solo career before transitioning to acting.

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Lewis is also widely known for her portrayal of Lil Kim in the 2008 biopic film Notorious. She has made appearances in several television shows and movies, including Fame, Queens, Lottery Ticket, and Step Sisters. She joined the cast of the original Power series opposite Omari Hardwick in 2014. The show ended after six seasons, but Lewis reprised her role as Tasha in the Power spinoff Power Book II: Ghost.

With this being the HBCU First LOOK Film Festivals’ second year, they have some pretty big shoes to fill following last year’s success. Celebrities including Terri J. Vaughn, Loni Love, Peyton Alex Smith, and Ruth E. Carter were among the celebrity attendees last year. Following the premiere of the Netflix film Rustin, former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama made a surprised appearance, followed by an end-of-film talkback session.

The HBCU First LOOK Film Festival will be held once again at Howard University on November 8-10. Click here to buy tickets.