Shawna-Lei Santos has been an assistant coach for the Chaminade University women's volleyball team since the spring of 2022. She is a head coach for the Aloha State Volleyball Club which is operated by club director and current Silverswords assistant coach Kolby Kanetake.

Santos was a four-year letterwinner and three-year captain at Division I St. John's University in New York from 2012 to '15 as an outside hitter, setter and libero where she ranks fourth in the Red Storm's career digs list with 1,610. She also owns two of the program's top 10 single-season digs marks with 572 in 2013 (fourth all-time) and 524 in 2014 (sixth) and in her final two seasons, finished second on the team in assists. Santos earned a spot on the Big East Conference Preseason Team entering her senior season and was twice named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll during her career. In October 2014, she represented the student body as the speaker during the investiture of Dr. Coronado "Bobby" Gempesaw, Ph.D., as St. John's 17th president.

At the conclusion of her collegiate career starting in 2016, Santos played professionally in the Philippine Super Liga for the Cignal HD Spikers, F2 Logistic Cargo Movers and Coco Life Asset Managers for three years.

Santos was a four-year starter at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu where she helped the Lancers achieve a fourth-place finish at the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division II Tournament during her senior year. She also played on the international stage as a member of the United States Junior National Team and played for the High Performance Pipeline during her prep years.