Pulliam to Graduate in May, Pursue Master’s at Carnegie Mellon
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball guard Dillon Pulliam will complete his bachelor’s degrees in computer engineering and computer science in May and has been admitted to Carnegie Mellon’s master’s program. He will begin pursuing a degree in electrical and computer engineering starting in the fall of 2018.
“Before I say anything, I’d first like to thank God for all he’s done for me over the past three years,” Pulliam said. “When you put your faith in him, it really is amazing the doors he will open for you.
“As a kid, I always dreamed of playing basketball in college. Having the chance to do that at UK has been life changing and has made these years some of the best of my life. The friendships and memories I’ve made are something I will carry with me forever and they have made all the hard work worth it. I’d like to thank my parents, my family and my friends for always believing in me and pushing me to achieve my goals. I’d also like to thank Coach Cal and the rest of staff, as well as all the incredible people working in UK Athletics, for helping me to grow as a basketball player and as a person. Lastly, I’d like to thank my teammates. Having the chance to be around three separate groups of extremely talented, hard-working, and enjoyable people has made every moment worth it.
“With that said, I’d like to say that this past season has been my final one in a Wildcat jersey. I plan to graduate this spring with a double major in computer engineering and computer science. Next year I plan to pursue my master’s in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
“Carnegie Mellon has one of the top engineering and computer science programs in the entire world and there I will have the chance to learn more about the computer systems I hope to one day help design. Big Blue Nation, I truly appreciate all the support I’ve had and I’m really looking forward to this new stage in my life.”
The Cynthiana, Kentucky, native owns a 4.0 grade-point average and will graduate in May with honors with undergraduate degrees in computer engineering and computer science. He also minored in mathematics while regularly appearing on the Dean’s List.
“Dillon was a great teammate and an important part of what we do in practice every day,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “He earned a partial scholarship at different points because of his contributions. Suffice it to say, he was a great student. I’ve been stopped by professors who ask me, ‘Do you know how smart he is?’ Being from Pittsburgh, I know what it means to be accepted into Carnegie Mellon. I also know my application wouldn’t have even made it to anyone’s desk. I’m just as happy for Dillon as I am for our other guys who go on to pursue their genius in other areas, whether it be in the NBA or in the business world. My guess is Dillon will be in the middle of a program to put people on Mars before it’s all said and done. Proud of him.”
Pulliam is a two-time All-Southeastern Conference Academic Team member during his time with the Wildcats, while also being a part of three SEC Tournament and two SEC regular-season titles. In March, Pulliam was named to the SEC Community Service Team for his on-going efforts in the community.
Among the community service work Pulliam has participated in, he spent his summer break serving on a mission trip to Belize in August of 2017; delivered gifts, served dinner and sang Christmas carols to families in the Lexington community every holiday season in his three years at Kentucky; been an annual participant in UK’s Back Pack Program with God’s Pantry to help pack and distribute lunches to students across the city; served Thanksgiving lunch at the Salvation Army in every season at UK; served as a guest speaker at local elementary schools; and he and his teammates helped raise more than $1 million along with the Red Cross in a Hurricane Harvey telethon.
Pulliam spent three seasons with Kentucky, after transferring from Transylvania University. After sitting out under NCAA transfer guidelines in 2015-16, Pulliam appeared in 11 games over the next two seasons.
He played in 25 games at Transy, averaging 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is a graduate of Harrison County High School where he was a five-year member of the varsity basketball team and scored more than 1,000 points in his career.
Calipari has graduated 100 percent of the players who have been eligible to receive their diploma by the end of their senior years and exhausted their athletic eligibility. Pulliam will extend that rate to a perfect 18 for 18 when he graduates in May.
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