LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College students Mariano Jimenez and Anthony Semelka recently won the highly competitive 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.
The competition draws some of the strongest financial planning students in the region, including teams from top undergraduate and highly competitive master’s-level programs at universities such as New York, Penn State and Vanderbilt.
“Last year’s winning team came from NYU’s graduate program, which makes this result even more surprising and meaningful for us,” Jimenez said. “Going into the final round, we knew that even being selected as finalists was a major accomplishment given the level of competition. Winning was honestly beyond what we expected.”
Believing the competition would be equally matched and likely decided by small but meaningful details, the Saint Vincent duo focused heavily on execution and precision.
“We recorded a total of 32 takes of our final video presentation over a two-day period to ensure we submitted the strongest version possible,” Jimenez said, “and every adjustment we made ended up mattering.”
The competition’s final round was extremely competitive, and the difference between Jimenez and Semelka, and the second-place team from Bryant University (Smithfield, Rhode Island) was just one point.
Jimenez and Semelka’s presentation can be viewed on YouTube.
“Mariano and Anthony are both excellent and proactive students,” said Dr. Michael Urick, C’04, dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government at Saint Vincent College. “They truly represented Saint Vincent well in this competition, and we are so proud of this incredible accomplishment. To win the top spot against a highly competitive group of schools, including against some graduate students from prestigious programs, is quite a feat. Anthony and Mariano will go far in life with their ‘can-do’ spirits, hard work and intelligence. Congratulations to both on this and future successes.”
The duo has now been invited to attend the NAPFA National Fall Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from Oct. 14-17, where they will be formally recognized in front of financial advisors from across the country. All conference-related expenses—including flights, hotel accommodations and registration fees—are covered as part of the award. The students are looking forward to continuing to build their professional networks during the conference.
“I am beyond grateful for the many opportunities provided by the McKenna School, including this competition,” Semelka said. “McKenna School faculty know your name and invest in your success. They’re not just lecturers, they’re mentors. I wouldn’t be in the spot I’m in now without them.”
This road to success started back in October 2025 when Semelka, who serves as president of Saint Vincent College’s Finance and Accounting Club, first got wind of the event. He sent 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 was 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 their final submissions were due for judging April 1. Two weeks later, they were declared the winners of the NAPFA NEMA Financial Planning Competition.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support that Saint Vincent College and the McKenna School have provided us throughout this process,” Jimenez said. “This achievement would not have been possible without that foundation.”
Vital to that foundation have been Dr. Nicholas Racculia, C’00, professor of finance and chair of the Finance and Accounting Department within the McKenna School, and Jayme Meredith, C’93, a Robert W. Baird & Co. executive who serves as an adjunct professor and member of the McKenna Advisory Council. The students identified the standout faculty members as being profoundly instrumental in the outcome.
“Their ability to challenge our assumptions, refine our thinking and push our plan to a higher level made a significant difference between our initial draft and the final product,” Jimenez said. “The level of insight, precision and strategic perspective they brought to our work was exceptional, and it genuinely elevated our performance. We learned an incredible amount from both, and their guidance played a major role in helping us compete and ultimately win against such a strong field of competitors.”
Jimenez also recognized that a variety of economics and statistics courses in which he enrolled early on at the College have vastly expanded his way of thinking and examining problems. He acknowledged Dr. Andrew Herr, chair of the Department of Economics and Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., Endowed Chair in Economics and Business, Dr. Zachary Davis, an associate professor of economics and Alex G. McKenna Endowed Chair in Economics, and Dr. Justin Petrovich, C’14, chair of the Marketing, Analytics and Global Commerce Department, for that influence. Their collective expertise, Jimenez added, played a critical role in shaping the foundation that led him to this point in his studies.
“Saint Vincent College offers many great opportunities, but its greatest asset is truly its faculty,” Jimenez said. “The professors here are what set it apart, and this achievement is a direct reflection of their impact.”
Looking ahead, the students plan to continue building on this momentum by competing in additional competitions, with the next one beginning as early as the upcoming summer.
Jimenez and Semelka are also excited that their hard work has begun to translate into professional opportunities during the spring and summer months. Jimenez will be interning with Kuttin Wealth Management, a New York–based private wealth advisory team that has been nationally recognized, including being named to Barron’s 2025 Top 250 Private Wealth Management Teams, and which manages approximately $14 billion in client assets.
Additionally, Jimenez will be interning with Muskie’s Bridge, a nonprofit organization focused on improving caregiver support. His job is to identify grant opportunities, support applications, and contribute to securing funding and generating cash flow to help sustain operations and support employees. He may also potentially work as an intern with Penn State’s Small Business Development Center.
Jimenez, who was born in Costa Rica, is a junior double majoring in finance as well as economics & mathematics 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.
Semelka, of Greensburg, is a sophomore who is double majoring in accounting and finance. During the previous summer, he passed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Securities Industry Essentials Exam, another venture independent of Saint Vincent coursework. Semelka noted that the classes he took in the McKenna School helped him immensely during the testing process.
He will be interning at Janney Montgomery Scott out of its downtown Ligonier office. The firm is part of a major regional wealth management platform and manages over $4 billion in client assets. Semelka will also continue his work as president of the College’s Finance and Accounting Club into the next academic year.
