From roller coasters to computer science degree

They say life can be a roller coaster, but prior to going back to school, Gary Banks spent nearly 20 years of his life among roller coasters as a technician on live shows for the Silverwood Theme Park in North Idaho.

“I’d been working summers at Silverwood since I was 14,” said Banks a non-traditional U of I Coeur d’Alene student studying computer science. “In 2021, at 32 years old, I realized that I needed to go back to school to finish my degree to increase my earning potential if I wanted to afford to buy a home in the area.”

Through his off-season job at the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus, Banks learned he could finish a computer science degree in Coeur d’Alene through U of I and its partnership with NIC, a program that would enable him to continue working while going to school.

He enrolled at NIC in Fall 2021 and transferred to U of I Coeur d’Alene in Fall 2022, all while working full-time.

“I put in my notice at Silverwood in January 2023 after a total of 20 seasons there. As my course load increased, I needed to be able to focus more on classwork and to fully shift my focus to computer science,” Banks said.

Banks had taken computer science courses at U of I in Moscow after he graduated from Timberlake High School in 2007 but came home after a few semesters.

“I loved my time in Moscow, but it wasn’t the right time for me to be in school,” Banks said.

He always knew he had an interest in computer science, but between fun, friends and finances, school wasn’t his top priority at that time. Banks came home and worked until he was ready to fully commit to his education, aided by the Fresh Start program. The initiative enables students, including Banks, to start over with a clean slate academically, which makes them eligible for scholarships and other academic programs that have GPA requirements.

With his fresh start, Banks became a Stone Scholar under Robert Rinker, associate chair of computer science in Coeur d’Alene, on a project with Vandal Glasses — specially programmed LED glasses the U of I Marching Band uses during half-time performances. His work on the project also extended to an undergraduate research assistantship over Summer 2023.

“We were able to match Gary’s real-world experiences working at Silverwood and NIC with a relevant capstone design project, which involves the incorporation of theatre effects into the Vandal Marching Band halftime shows,” Rinker said. “Like many older returning students, he was not confident in his capabilities, but he has excelled in his studies, especially as his confidence has grown. Now his only dilemma is deciding which career opportunity he wants to pursue going forward.”

In his senior year, Banks landed a three-month internship with a local plastic injection molding company, H&H Molds. The internship led to a summer job and a flexible part-time job in Fall 2024 that enabled him to complete his capstone project and significantly impact H&H Molds’ operations.

Banks created a custom tool using pneumatics and 3D printing that helps automate a manual process of inserting rubber O-rings into plastic lids. He then designed a custom robot that uses machine vision through an automated camera  and a robotic arm that the tool can be mounted on. 

“This is a work in progress that I’m iterating and improving upon, but it has already been used in production,” Banks said. “It cuts the process time by about 75%. Plus it automates a task that employees found tedious and dull.”

With his walk across the commencement stage in December 2024, Banks said he has “no regrets about returning to school, other than not doing it sooner.”

“The Coeur d’Alene area is my home, and having the combined NIC-U of I programs available in my backyard is a huge benefit,” Banks said. “It allowed me to start school while still working full-time and keeping that income flow. I’m not sure I could’ve or would’ve done it without U of I Coeur d’Alene.”

Banks said he’s grateful for the support and encouragement he’s had from the close-knit campus in Coeur d’Alene.

“The faculty in Coeur d’Alene is fantastic,” Banks said. “They genuinely want to see us reach our full potential. Our classes are small, which is an advantage because it allows for more personalized attention from instructors and creates a learning environment where everyone feels supported.”

Though coming back to school after time away might seem intimidating, Banks said U of I’s computer science faculty encouraged and enabled him to achieve his goals.

“I would have never known about a lot of the opportunities that came to me at U of I Coeur d’Alene if it weren’t for the professors advocating for me and enabling me to go for it,” Banks said. “They are fully committed to their students and to advancing and improving this program, and they all go above and beyond for us.”