Bettina Santos Yap was born and raised in Manila. She graduated from the University of the Philippines majoring in Broadcast Communications before moving to the US in 1983. She earned a degree in Marketing at Golden Gate University.

For 25 years, Santos Yap was a marketing professional in the technology industry working for renowned companies including Genesys, Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, Cisco, NetApp, Apple, and Sun Microsystems. In 2018, she embarked on her second career: to become a pastry chef. Santos Yap completed the Baking and Pastry Arts program at the City College of San Francisco Culinary and Hospitality Studies. She worked briefly as pastry baker at the San Francisco Baking Institute.

Santos Yap was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in US in 2007 by the Filipina Women’s Network. She performed in FWN’s annual production of the Vagina Monologues from 2003—2006, directing the English and Tagalog (Usaping Puki) productions in San Francisco and New York in 2006.

Santos Yap is also a volunteer recording talent for Learning Ally, a nonprofit producer of audiobooks for blind and dyslexic students. She, along with her husband, son and daughter, are also active ministers of the Mater Dolorosa parish community.