Gwen Casten, the daughter of United States Representative Sean Casten, died on Tuesday. She was 17. While the cause of her death is not clear, her family said that she died in her sleep peacefully.

Gwen’s father Sean Casten, a Democratic lawmaker from Illinois, released a heartfelt statement on Wednesday to remember his daughter. Gwen’s mother Cara and sister Audrey had also signed the statement.

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Who was Gwen Casten?

Gwen Casten went to Downers Grove North High School and was soon about to start her freshman year at the University of Vermont. The 17-year-old was planning to pursue Environmental Sciences from there.

Gwen Casten was passionate about “music and activism”, her family noted in the emotional statement that was released on Wednesday. She played the trumpet for the school’s jazz band, the wind ensemble and the pit orchestra for the school’s rendition of Mary Poppins.

Shortly after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, which resulted in the death of at least 17 people, Gwen Casten headed student efforts to establish the “Empowerment Club”. It later became the biggest student association at the Downers Grove North High School, her family said.

The Empowerment Club, led by Gwen Casten, focused “on everything from gun violence prevention to environmental protection to LGBTQ allyship to organizing Black Lives Matter rallies to registering students to vote”, the statement read.

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Gwen’s family also remembered her last moments and said that the whole family ate dinner together on Sunday night. She later left the house to spend time with friends. “When she got home, she said goodnight to Kara and I, texted a friend to make sure she got home OK, and didn’t wake up on Monday morning,” the family said.

“The only thing we know about her death is that it was peaceful. And the only lesson we can take from that is to savor the moments you have with your loved ones.”