PROFILE
williamjorgensen@gmail.com
+1 207 653 7304
Sommerville MA
CONTACT
Bowdoin College
2020 - 2025
BA - Computer Science
Bowdoin College
2020 - 2025
Visiting Student
Hochschule Luzern
2024 - 2025
Apprentice Carpenter
Since October 2025
Helping as a carpenter for a general contractor primarily working on additions and restoration of historic houses in and around Boston.
Fogg’s Water Taxi
Captain
Since 2020
Responsible for operating a commercial water taxi that transports passengers year-round to the islands in and around Portland Harbor, as well as coordinating event logistics for large group transports, weddings, and other special events.
Reflekta
Lead Fullstack Developer
April 2024 - September 2024
Co-developed the core platform for an AI startup, building both front- and back-end systems from concept to launch.
Self Employed
Freelance Software Developer
Since 2020
Created bookkeeping and reservations software for the water taxi company where I work as a captain, as well as their website.
Bowdoin College
Teaching Assistant - German and Computer Science
2021 - 2024
In the German Department, responsible for conducting twice-weekly German lessons for introductory courses.
Jerisberghof, Bern, Switzerland
Farm Hand and Carpenter
2022 + 2024
Built and repaired farm structures including a new roof, stairs, and
chicken house. Assisted with daily livestock care and field work.
Centerboard Yacht Club
Steward
2018 - 2020
Responsible for the transport of people from the dock to their boats, as well as managing the mooring field.
Arduino/ESP 32
Carpentry
Django
Fusion 360
German
HTML/CSS/JS
Java
PHP
Python
React
Swift/SwiftUI
Red Cross First Aid/CPR
2024
German Consular Prize in Literary Interpretation
2023
Fantasy NESCAC
Last Updated 24.10.31
1. Flip Dot Display
This project worked to repurpose old toll booth fare display panels from the Maine Turnpike into an interactive wall art sign. The system is made up of six Ferranti Packard flip-dot displays from the 90s, driven by an Arduino A4, and cycles through a database of over 500,000 random quotes interspersed with current tidal information and user-submitted messages. Between quotes, the sign fetches the latest tidal data from Portland Harbor and shows an animation of the tide either rising or falling to its current level.
The frame is designed to come apart for easy access: the outer frame is made from repurposed decking, while the inner frame attaches with magnets to cover the electronics. Figuring out how to wire everything was a major challenge, since there isn’t much information available online, and in the end it came down to tracing connections with a multimeter and following a diagram from a very helpful GitHub repo.
The sign currently hangs on the wall of my dining room back home in Maine — and you can even send a message that will appear on it!
Send Message
2. Wandering Williams
This past spring my roommate from Bowdoin, William and I set out to explore the many ways alumni live their lives. On February 13th we packed up the car and began a five-week, cross-country road trip. Each night we stayed with a different Bowdoin alum—ranging from new grads to grandparents, authors to ranchers.
In planning the trip, we were humbled by the more than 150 alumni who offered lodging, most of whom knew us only through a few short emails. Their generosity carried us through 25 states (plus D.C. and a Canadian province), where we stayed with more than 30 alumni.
Our motivation was simple: to learn firsthand about the varied paths Polar Bears take, to glimpse their daily lives, and to form real connections. Looking back, the trip confirmed what we believed: Bowdoin’s community is uniquely strong, rooted in a shared spirit and the willingness of strangers to open their homes. Out of this grew the idea of a more formal network for alumni and students, inspired by frameworks like WarmShowers and WWOOFing. This blog became our first experiment, a glimpse of what such a community might offer.
Roadtrip Blog Article
3. Electric Outboard
I had an old siezed up suzuki outboard lying around and decided to try converting it to electric power. The project used an ebike motor and connected through a milled spline adapter to the lower unit of the outboard. The outboard cowling is made out of a tupperware container making it waterproof, while still easy to remove.
The motor attaches to the dinghy like any other and speed is controlled with an ebike throttle. The battery can be easily unplugged and taken home for charging, and the whole motor assembly is considerably lighter than the original gas version.
4. Sailcloth Backpack
My favorite helly Hanson backpack starting falling apart after years of everyday use, so I decided to revamp it. I used old sails for the body and an old dry bag for the bottom panel.
5. Doors
Pictured above is a trapdoor I designed using gas struts—the same kind used to hold up a car’s tailgate. These were spec-ed and custom made based on the door's weight and dimensions, with a goal of zero resistance. The goal was to add a functional attic bedroom door without sacrificing space. The door itself was reclaimed from an old house.
Below is the completed trapdoor on the far left. At Center is a set of French doors I built by cutting another reclaimed door in half to solve problems posed by an awkward space outside a bathroom; in the final design, one side locks securely into the frame. To the right are shaker-style cabinet doors I made for a small kitchen closet on two sides of a chimney to match other cabinetry in the kitchen.
Article
8. Woodworking Projects
From top left: a serving tray, joint to fix a broken bench leg, cedar Adirondack chairs, kerf bent plywood table, coffee table, half lap clothes rack.