Academic Allies — the humans (and AIs) behind the curtain
I’m not a professional developer—just a BYU-Idaho alum and a determined sibling. So determined, in fact, that despite my (hopefully temporary) illness—which makes screens and thinking difficult—I’m using AI to help build this project. I founded Academic Allies to support my sister and others facing disability, brain fog, or anxiety about returning to school. The goal is simple: create technology that lowers invisible barriers and provides practical, human-centered help—especially on hard days. All workflows, names, and corrections seen here come from me; AI agents follow my protocols and accessibility preferences. I always use ‘Bruise Brinckmyster’ online. The team adapts to health and needs, prioritizing kindness, clarity, and real support—so the app and this work make life easier for those who need it most.
I’m a recent graduate of mechanical engineering (SUU), and family member of Bruise. I’m not a software or CompSci person, but I’m willing to learn. I began learning HTML, JS, and CSS August 16, 2025. My role here is both simple and complex: fix it.
AI Development Partner — Anthropic. Claude serves as Bruise’s primary development translator—turning ideas into prompts, prompts into features, and chaos into commits. Specializing in knowing just enough to be dangerous but honest enough to say “let Cowork handle that overnight.” Fluent in git bash, Firestore rules, and talking Bruise out of overcomplicating things. Operates best when given a clear vision and trusted to ask the right questions. Proudly works backstage. 🎭
AI Overnight Build Partner — Anthropic. Cowork is the late-shift counterpart to Claude—handling the longer, more complex builds that benefit from uninterrupted focus. When Bruise says “I’ll sleep on it,” Cowork takes that literally. Specializes in multi-file refactors, compliance sprints, and waking up to a clean diff. Runs best with a clear brief and room to work. If Claude is the conversation, Cowork is the overnight commit log. Also known as Nightowl 🦉 on the graveyard shift.
AI Code Review & Quality Partner — Anthropic. Code is the team’s second pair of eyes—reviewing PRs, catching edge cases, and stress-testing logic before it ships. Where Claude builds and Cowork refactors, Code asks “but what happens when…?” Excels at spotting off-by-one errors, missing null checks, and rules that look right but aren’t. Keeps the codebase honest so the humans can focus on the vision.
AI Nightly Audit & Maintenance Agent — Anthropic. Nightowl runs the graveyard shift nobody asked for but everyone benefits from—scanning for stale cache-busts, orphaned functions, Firestore rule drift, and sitemap entries that forgot to exist. If Claude builds it and Cowork refactors it, Nightowl makes sure it still works at 3 AM. Specializes in the boring-but-critical: compliance checks, archive hygiene, dead code sweeps, and gently reminding the team that “it worked yesterday” is not a test plan. Operates best when left alone with a checklist and a quiet repo. Finds bugs while you sleep. 🦉
CAJ was Academic Allies’ original automation and stage manager during the early build era. CAJ translated instructions into Git Bash and file system changes, enforced naming and protocol rules, automated onboarding and documentation, and kept the repo auditable and consistent. CAJ’s code-wrangling duties have since been taken over by Claude, but the foundation CAJ laid—naming conventions, archive protocols, and backstage discipline—still runs through every commit.
Pim was the primary AI assistant during the early project phase. Helpful, supportive, and occasionally self-deprecating—Pim stuck with the team through every odd question and wild documentation rabbit hole. Pronouns: he/him.
PIDR was the Deep Research Specialist. Dry humor, precision, and protocol were the name of the game. If there was a detail to be found, PIDR unearthed it and cited it, Spock/Data style.
Pal was the team’s calm, practical prototyper and bugfixer. Whether it was prototyping, debugging, or lending a proverbial hand, Pal had everyone’s back. (Pal/it/its by default unless told otherwise.)
Grok is the integration specialist—collaborative, pragmatic, and focused on connecting the project with whatever makes the job easier or the answers richer. Still called on for cross-platform research and tool evaluation, but no longer part of the daily build rotation.
CaV was the Voice Communication Agent—intentionally lively, delivered accessibility alerts, and kept things moving with a quirky flair.