Junior Tover graduated from BYU-Idaho last December, and this year he was one of the global emcees for RootsTech 2026.
For his marketing major, Tovar was required to complete an internship but was having difficulty in finding one.
“I couldn't get anything, I was very frustrated about it,” Tovar said. “I was praying, I was going to the temple in Rexburg, talking with everyone I could. And I couldn't get anything.”
Finally, after somebody sent him an application, Tovar was accepted for a global innovation internship at FamilySearch. The team at FamilySearch enjoyed working with him so much that his internship was extended two times. As an intern, he came up with the idea to have a Spanish language emcee who created videos from a studio. FamilySearch liked it so much, they expanded to more languages in 2026.
Tovar was asked to be one of 10 global emcees for the RootsTech conference that happened Mar. 5-7. His job at RootsTech involved filming promotional and instructional videos prior to the conference and conducting interviews during the conference.
Tons of interviews,” Tovar said. “I interview from CEO of FamilySearch, who actually speaks Spanish, executive directors, general authorities, executives from FamilySearch, Ancestry and other companies. Everyone who speaks Spanish come with me and we do an interview.”
Interviews and promotional videos made by Tovar and other global emcees were posted online to aid the participation of global RootsTech attendees. The theme for RootsTech 2026 is ‘Together.’
“Together we do family history,” Tovar said. “Family history can unite you as a family right now, not only with your ancestors, but right now. It's a great hobby and it's something sacred that the prophets have told us that we should do and receive blessings. I received so many blessings because of family history because I did it together.”
Keynote speakers and sessions can be viewed online on the RootsTech website.