KINGSTON, R.I. — Cate Seman has battled ankle injuries and illness during her time on the volleyball court at the University of Rhode Island.

The first and most severe of the ankle injuries came just two weeks into her collegiate career.

“It's not anything I would have ever chosen to do,” said Seman, who is preparing for her senior and final season with the Rams this fall. “To get sick and get injured and to miss time wasn't what I had in mind.”

But during those idle stretches she spent healing, the Seneca Valley graduate formulated an idea in her head that she hoped would help others in her position answer a simple question.

What do I do with my life without sports?

And Rallying Athletes' Minds, or RAM, was born.

Seman, with the help of Academic Advisor and Learning Specialist at Rhode Island, Brittney Cross, hope to get funding to make the wellness and development program a permanent park of the university.

“This is something student athletes don't realize they need until they need it,” Cross said. “It was extremely exciting when Cate came to me with this idea, especially one as enthusiastic and passionate as Cate.”

Seman said she struggled herself when she was sidelined early in her freshman year and then for the final five weeks of her sophomore season.

She felt isolated and removed from her teammates and found it difficult to focus.

“I felt withdrawn from the team and the coaches,” Seman said. “So this hits home a little harder for me.”

So does the prospect of her playing career coming to an end.

It, despite the injuries and illnesses, it has been a good one.

Seman battled through the pain in her ankles to appear in all 103 sets played by Rhode Island last season.

She racked up 178 kills, 189 digs, 64 block and 19 service aces. She also recorded double-digit kills three times and double-digits in digs six times.

Her versatility helped the Rams to an 18-10 record.

Seman expects even bigger things from herself and her team this year.

“We have an amazing team coming back some great freshmen coming in,” Seman said. “This year we're working hard to win the Atlantic-10 Conference. That's something we haven't done.”

Seman is just glad she gets one final year to be a part of athletics.

She picked up volleyball in the fifth grade and has been playing virtually non-stop since.

At Seneca Valley, she was named to the PIAA All-State team three times.

“It's starting to hit me that it will be over soon,” Seman said. “You can say it — 'I have one more year left' — but when it starts to sink in, that you have four more months left, it really becomes real.”

That's why Seman wants her RAM program to succeed.

It's a two-pronged program, Seman said. One part is preparing athletes to transition to life when sports are over after graduation. The other part is helping athletes deal with not being able to play while sick or injured.

“On the injury side, we're hoping to prevent some of the things that happen to athletes when they can't compete like depression, eating disorders, academic decline,” Seman said. “We also want to make sure athletes have a better understanding of what to do after their athletic careers are over. There really is nothing like that in place here.”

Cross said she is hopeful they will receive a grant from the NCAA to help launch and sustain the program.

Seman plans on staying at the university after graduation to help run it.

Seman said she came to Rhode Island originally almost by accident.

“I didn't really have a list of schools where I wanted to go,” Seman said. “I didn't have that dream school. Rhode Island was interested and I went up for a visit and I fell in love with the campus and the area.”

And now Seman is hoping to give back to the university and to athletes who, much like her, have struggled with injury and finding a path for themselves after graduation.

“When the idea came to me, I was like a lot of athletes,” Seman said. “When I finished my four years I had no idea what I was going to do without athletics. There needs to be a better system in place to help injured athletes and athletes who will graduate with more career help — something as seemingly simple as how to do a resume, that sort of thing. I hope this will provide that here.”