Center on Halsted kicked off the day after World AIDS Day with light appetizers and cocktails, which acted as a prelude to the live interview and discussion.

Mondo gained national notoriety on Lifetime's Project Runway when he disclosed his HIV-positive status on the show. Since then, the fashion designer has become an HIV advocate by sharing his personal stories of struggle and success with his sexuality and status as it relates to his career, his personal life and his relationship with his family.

Center on Halsted's director, HIV/AIDS/STD Hotline and HIV testing and prevention Jill Dispenza was excited to organize and host Mondo for the event because of his courage to reveal his positive status on the show.

"We were really excited to get him ( Mondo ) because he is a well-known, engaging speaker and he came out on Project Runway about his HIV status, which is incredibly brave and it was a very moving episode," Dispenza said. "He is now a very strong advocate for people living with HIV. I want people to feel that they can live an amazing and beautiful life with HIV."

During the interview, Mondo shared with guests his backstory and personal experiences of his initial move to New York City at 19 years of age, how he engaged in unprotected sex, and how New York City "spit him out."

Mondo also went on to expand on his "very Catholic Latino" family. At the time, the fashion designer felt like he couldn't express himself, since he always had an interest in the arts. Mondo remembers as a child that if he wanted to play the piano, he would also have to play baseball. Fears of his family disowning him and their disappointment kept Mondo from revealing his HIV status to them. According to Mondo, he now prefers to see himself "living with HIV" and just not merely HIV-positive. He urges people who recently find out about their positive status to reach out to those they can trust.

"Looking back on how I handled it, I would say think about who you can trust the most, really find those people that you can build that support group with because it's a lot to take in and responsibility," he said. "I think it's different for everybody. Everyone reacts differently to it. For me, I first felt very alone and afraid, so if I had that support group of people who I can talk to, it would've been different. That loneliness turned into denial and resentment and then it progressed into a very dark place. So, if you are diagnosed HIV-positive, definitely seek out a support group, talk about it, let it all out, and express every emotion that you're feeling. If you keep these feelings bottled up, they are going to eat at you. It's not fun."

The evening concluded with a meet-and-greet with Mondo where guests could take pictures with the reality TV star and ask additional questions. In addition to continuing his HIV advocacy work, Mondo also works in partnership with Merck as a spokesperson for Living Positive By Design, an HIV and AIDS education campaign that tours major cities across the nation. Mondo will also be appearing in Project Runway All Stars, which airs on Lifetime Jan. 5.