There are political internships and jobs outside of Washington DC. There are think tanks, state agencies, advocacy organizations, political campaigns, not to mention the day to day grind of running a city, county or region (which obviously happens all over the country).
This kid does not need to be in DC to have a high quality and challenging experience getting involved politically, or seeing government up close.
Location, location, location can also mean Storrs CT where a summer internship could be Boston, Hartford, NYC, or even heading North prior to the New Hampshire primaries next presidential cycle.