A Suffolk teen has been invited to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s AgDiscovery Summer Program this week.

Skyla Williams, a rising sophomore at King’s Fork High School, will spend two weeks at the camp at Virginia State University.

Skyla said she applied for the camp after her grandmother found out about it. She hopes to work at Sea World and open her own veterinary clinic.

“I love working with animals,” she said. “I have a lot of animals that I live with, and I just love caring for them.”

She said the family has nine cats and three dogs, and also cares for six outside cats. They also are members of East Coast Asian Dog Rescue and foster dogs through that organization.

During the camp, she will gets hands-on experience in the areas of veterinary science and food safety, as well as on-farm processing techniques. The camp participants will visit chicken producer Tyson’s organic farm and other farms, visit the National Zoo and the Virginia Marine Science Museum and more.

Considering her hopes of becoming a marine biologist, Skyla said she is most looking forward to the marine science museum.

“We’re going to learn about different types of animals and how to care for them,” she said.