LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College students Mariano Jimenez and Anthony Semelka were recently selected as finalists in the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (NEMA) Financial Planning Competition.
The competition is designed for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in financial planning programs recognized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
Semelka first got wind of the event from an email he received in October 2025 as president of Saint Vincent College’s Finance and Accounting Club. He put out an email to fellow club members to see if anyone was interested in participating and Jimenez jumped at the opportunity.
Students are given a detailed case study concerning a client, including information about their finances, investments, insurance, estate planning and long-term goals. From there, participants must develop a comprehensive financial plan and present their recommendations through a recorded client-style presentation. The case study was sent to all applicants on Jan. 1, and submissions were due two months later.
Judges evaluated submissions based on several criteria, including demonstration of the CFP Board’s eight knowledge domains (professional conduct, general principles, risk management, investments, tax, retirement, estate planning and psychology of financial planning), mastery of advanced planning techniques, creativity in identifying solutions and presentation skills.
After the first round of submissions, a group of finalists were selected on March 7 and paired with professional financial planners who mentored them and helped refine their plans before the final round.
Jimenez and Semelka were selected as finalists this year and advanced to compete against some of the top teams in the region, including students from large universities, Ivy League schools and even graduate-level programs.
“From what we understand, this is the first time students from Saint Vincent College have reached the finalist stage of this competition,” Jimenez said, “which makes it especially exciting for us and for the McKenna School.”
Jimenez, who was born in Costa Rica, is a senior double majoring in finance as well as the economics and mathematics program and is also working toward a Legal Practice Certificate. He studies at the College year-round and has been part of The Review—the College’s student newspaper—since his sophomore year, contributing both as a writer and by managing the paper’s business accounts.
“We want to be academically challenged,” Jimenez said of the competition, “and we want to push past our limits.”
The winning team from the region will be invited to attend the NAPFA National Fall Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from Oct. 14-17, where students will be recognized in front of hundreds of financial advisors from across the country.
“This is something that’s relevant to what I want to do as a career, financial planning,” said Semelka, of Greensburg, a junior who is double majoring in accounting and finance. “What I see myself doing in the future is working on cases exactly like this and using it to give recommendations to clients. I wanted to do this to push myself, get some experience in that field, and we’ve also been able to connect with some professors and some people for outside help with this.”
Jimenez’s finance specialization, on the other hand, centers on being a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He’s considering being a CFA for a career but may also attend law school following his Saint Vincent College Commencement. For now, the two students are putting the finishing touches on their final presentation, which is due April 1. Winners will be announced two weeks later.
Their final presentation will feature additional touchups and refinements as they seek to improve their initial submission, which can be viewed on YouTube.
“Saint Vincent is very proud of Mariano and Anthony,” said Dr. Michael Urick, C’04, dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government at Saint Vincent College. “Their proactiveness led them to pursue this competition outside of class, and their success is indicative of their level of knowledge. The McKenna School wishes Mariano and Anthony congratulations on a job well done.”
The students were quick to deflect the spotlight away from them, however, and instead focused on McKenna School instructors.
“Even though it’s a small school in a small area, there are some really brilliant minds here,” Semelka said, highlighting Dr. Nicholas Racculia, C’00, professor of finance and chair of the Finance and Accounting Department within the McKenna School, and James Meredith, a Robert W. Baird & Co. executive who serves as an adjunct professor and member of the McKenna Advisory Council. “They are just unbelievably intelligent people, and it’s a privilege to be able to have access to them.”
“A big thing for a school like Saint Vincent is having people who want to compete and who want to push themselves,” Jimenez said. “If you push yourself and you put in the work, you reach out to people, you’ll find professors like Dr. Racculia and Professor Meredith, and they’re more than willing to help you out. We are absolutely privileged to be a part of this.”
