Gabriela Ines Sevilla, an attorney at the National Homelessness Law Center known for her advocacy with youth in D.C., died on Monday. She was 29 years-old.

“Gabi was a ‘shooting star,’ accomplishing more in her short life than many do in decades. With a dimpled smile, her positive energy was infectious. It was an honor to learn from her and to be in her presence. We will miss her deeply and our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones,” said a statement from the NHLC.

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Sevilla drew from her own experiences of being unhoused to build a career out of helping others in need. Those she helped included one D.C. couple in 2019 for whom she helped raise over $40,000 to find a place to rent. 

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Sevilla was only in her third year of law school when she served as a legal observer during an encampment sweep in D.C. in 2019. That’s when she met Monica Diaz and her partner, Pete Etheridge, whose story went on to be featured in the front page of the Washington Post and other outlets before Diaz published an op-ed in Street Sense with help from Sevilla.

“Ever since [the day we met, Gabi] has been in my corner, and ever since that day, she’s been the biggest angel ever,” Diaz told DCist at the time. “I don’t know where I would be if Gabi wasn’t in my corner.”

A graduate of Howard University School of Law, Sevilla went on to co-lead the Unhoused Workgroup of the People’s Commission to Decriminalize Maryland. There, she advocated for Maryland legislators to re-assess laws that can have a disproportionate impact on people experiencing homelessness in the 2021 and 2022 General Assembly sessions.

“Gabi was an inspiring young lawyer and her work in the fair housing area was highly recognized while she was in law school,” said Howard Law dean Danielle R. Holley in a tweet.

Earlier this year, Sevilla’s work to provide college tuition waivers for unhoused and foster care youth in Maryland was featured on ABC News. As someone who had experienced evictions, Sevilla said that waiver programs helped get her through college.

“People who have had to live their lives on the streets and train stations, they have a lot of heart. They’re brilliant. They’re survivors,” Sevilla was quoted as saying in the report.

In recent weeks, Sevilla had been working with DCist/WAMU reporters to source voices in Prince George’s County for the annual Homelessness Reporting Project. 

This post has been updated to remove Sevilla’s cause of death, at the request of her family.