Two Nansemond River High School juniors are among 250 students nationwide selected as national youth delegates to attend the 2016 Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University.

Charnise Knight and Alexis Myers were invited to attend the event that runs from June 26 to July 1. Participants are given opportunities to study up-and-coming careers in environmental science, policies and conservation studies. The program is sponsored by GMU, the National Zoo and National Geographic Society.

Myers, an aspiring veterinarian, is looking forward to the trip.

Knight, however, has not been able to raise the program’s $1,950 tuition and says she will probably have to decline the opportunity unless something changes.

She has set up an account on the crowdfunding website, GoFundMe.com, that will allow the public to donate to cover her expenses. The final deadline for full tuition is May 15, according to the organization’s website.

When she graduates high school, Knight wants to study biology and eventually focus on forensic science. It’s a career choice that comes after years of watching crime dramas on television with her grandmother, she said.

“It’s a great opportunity and I would love to go,” Knight said. But it’s an expense her family can’t undertake right now, she said.

Knight said she is drawn to science by her desire to dig deeper, to fully understand why and how things happen.

Myers, who says the cost of her trip has already been covered, says she is excited to have been chosen.

“It’s a great opportunity … and will probably be good for my college application,” said Myers, who plans to apply to Virginia Tech next year. She has known she wants to study veterinary medicine since childhood, she added.

“I’ve always been interested in wildlife and wanted to find a way to help animals,” Myers said. “Having my own veterinary clinic has been my dream for a long time.”

To donate to Knight’s tuition, go to www.gofundme.com/ckwyse2016fund.