LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Early last year, Jametta Barden was laid off from her job at a software company. Nearly a year later, Barden will be sitting on top of the world .....or at least the Super Bowl.
Barden beat out thousands of other entrants to be chosen by Courtyard by Marriott as the winner of its annual "Ultimate Upgrade Contest," which allows someone to spend a night inside the Super Bowl stadium. This year's Super Bowl, of course, will be played at Allegiant Stadium here in Las Vegas and Barden will be there the Saturday before the big game.
"It's just very surreal," she said on Wednesday, which is when she visited the suite with KTNV Scripps Las Vegas.
The room was made into a makeshift Marriott hotel room, complete with a bed, and a private stadium seating section with a grand view of the field. Barden was in Las Vegas for a media event on Wednesday with her son, Chance Mack, who will accompany her in the suite on Feb. 10.
Mack, a Georgia State University graduate, is the founder of an organization called Unforgettable Soles, which works to make sure underserved communities in the Atlanta area have access to footwear. Barden is also well known in her home city for her volunteer work. That's part of the reason why she was chosen for the contest.
"I'm just thankful for this," Barden said. "I'm looking forward to waking up and just being able to look out at the stadium. That's going to be unreal."
Barden and Mack will be able to stay overnight in the suite, but will have to leave for a time on Sunday before the game for security reasons. Then, they'll return to watch Super Bowl LVIII, which will pit the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11.
A big football fan, Barden said she's not sure she'll be able to get any sleep the night before the big game.
"I probably won't," she said with a laugh. "I've always said Atlanta has the best stadium in the NFL, but [Allegiant Stadium] is really swanky. This stadium is so Vegas."
