Jeremiah Patterson smiles next to a photo of Cara Kelly, his close friend and former classmate at American University.

WASHINGTON – Steam escaped from Cara Kelly’s red paper coffee cup, as she sat at a tiny round table at Starbucks and reflected on her experience in the journalism world.

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“I wanted to go into journalism since I was in high school,” Kelly said with a smile. “I used to read the newspaper with my dad a lot. From when I was very little, he would cut out the kids page for me.”

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Kelly was born to be a journalist. Her hardworking and thoughtful personality brought her success as a graduate student at American University, a reporter at The Washington Post, and an editor and journalist at USA Today.

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“Cara always impressed me with how she would ‘eat through walls’ to get to a story. She is a hard, hard worker. … If I had a class of Cara Kellys -- people who are tenacious -- I would be perfectly fine,” said Amy Eisman, one of Kelly’s former professors at American.

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Kelly’s ability to “eat through walls” has served her well as a crucial investigative reporter for the #MeToo movement, as she covered both Hollywood and political allegations.

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“It was really, really crazy about this time last year,” said Kelly. “We were trying to figure out a way to go about it that was a little different than just covering, as all these stories were coming out. We were trying to do something unique for USA Today in a way that would fit our readership, who are not really engrossed in the Hollywood industry.”

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As a result, Kelly and her team created a written survey for a wide range of Hollywood employees and insiders, in order to gain a better perspective of the severity of sexual assault in the industry. She worked with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to craft questions for survivors of assault and harassment.

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“One of the big things we did was the choice in wording,” said Kelly. “A lot of people would say, ‘Have you experienced sexual harassment?’ However, most people don’t have a definition in their heads. We actually wrote out every major type of sexual harassment and assault and said, ‘Have you experienced any one of these?’ That helped our response rate and our accuracy.”

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The intimacy required in covering the #MeToo movement was one of Kelly’s biggest challenges. Kelly said #MeToo was not only a great learning experience, but also the largest project she has taken on during her time as a journalist.

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“It’s very hard to talk to people about these things in very intimate detail,” Kelly said. “You have to ask people ‘How were you sexually assaulted?’ And very detailed, very personal questions. You really have to build their trust.”

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What kept Kelly inspired and motivated through the challenges of reporting on the #MeToo movement was her passion for bringing truth to light and providing a platform for those who have been victimized.

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“Just wanting to get the truth out there I think is what the primary motivation is.… Having that drive to get things out there, to really want them to see the light of day,” said Kelly.

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Jeremiah Patterson, who became close friends with Kelly during their time as students at American, watched her project unfold from the sidelines.

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“She’s very thoughtful and she is concerned with reporting on things that matter and giving voice to those who are traditionally voiceless. It was definitely interesting to see that process play itself out,” said Patterson.

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For Kelly, giving a voice to the voiceless is not only a passion, but also a responsibility.

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“They’re not just telling you most of the time, too. They generally want you to tell other people, and serve as a warning or help change the system. They’re not doing it just because. That’s kind of a bigger responsibility in making sure things get out in the right way,” said Kelly.

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While Kelly is known for her hardworking and tenacious spirit, she also enjoys personal moments with her friends and family.

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“A good story that flips the script a little bit was when she got married in the spring,” said Patterson. “Those of us who know Cara know that she can be a little anxiety-prone and meticulous in what she’s after. It was wonderful to see her on wedding day so relaxed and calm and soaking it all in.”

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Kelly’s diligence will allow her to conquer anything she is after, and her friends and colleagues are confident she will continue to have a bright future in the journalism world.