Soledad O'Brien didn't always want to be a reporter.
O'Brien started her academic career at Harvard University as a pre-med student. It wasn't until she pursued an internship at a Boston television station that she knew journalism was the career for her.
"It was weird, because I just knew," she said in an interview before her speech at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday night.
The CNN investigative reporter spoke to an audience of almost 600 about her experiences as a journalist, the value of diversity and what it's like to be a multicultural woman in the media.
In her 30-minute speech, cosponsored by Accent Speaker's Bureau and Hispanic Heritage Month, O'Brien told stories about her career, including what it was like to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
She described the floating bodies she saw in the storm's wake and a 6-year-old boy left in charge of his 5-month-old sibling following the storm.
Her job has taken her to countries such as Thailand, Russia and Cuba, where she is able to visit relatives as well as work.
When she visits Cuba, she said she brings shoes, batteries and suitcases of tampons for her family.
"It's always been a tough place to go because they can't leave, and I have a lot of guilt about that," she said.
She also discussed what it's like to be a woman in the workplace.
She told the audience that her boss wouldn't send her on an assignment to Gitmo, Cuba, during one of her pregnancies until she "pitched a hissy fit."
"If there's one message for women, it's possible to do it all, but you have to think very realistically about what 'all' is for you, and what is success for you," she said.
O'Brien also talked about her mixed heritage. Her mother is Afro-Cuban, and her father is Australian and Irish.
She is the fifth of six children and has four of her own.
"Where you come from defines your perspective, so I felt like I had a lot of different perspectives growing up," she said.
With a big family and a demanding job schedule, she said her life is a crazy balancing act.
"I love to work. I love my job, and I like the stories I get to cover. They're very fulfilling for me," she said.
"And I love my kids, too. And I love my husband, too. And I like hanging out with my friends, too. I'm jamming that all into 24 hours."
