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TeamTwo Burlington educators. One shared conviction.
Scholar's Studio is co-founded by Vaishali Sridhar and Sonia Abbas. They both built places they wished existed for their own children. Now they're building one together.
Scholar's Studio started as a question two Burlington educators kept asking each other: why isn't anyone teaching math and language this way?
Vaishali had built BioTroopers, the hands-on biology program where students leave fascinated. Sonia had built Ashwood Glen, the IB boutique school in Burlington. Both kept hearing the same thing from parents: my child is being drilled, and starting to hate it. So they built what they wished existed.
Vaishali Sridhar
Vaishali Sridhar is the co-founder and curriculum lead at Scholar's Studio. A scientist by training with a background in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Genomics, she has spent more than a decade across academia, pharma, biotech, and health tech.
In 2022 she founded BioTroopers, the hands-on biology and STEAM program that now runs across Halton. Scholar's Studio is what happens when the same principle turns toward math and language: children learn deeply when they touch the idea before they touch the page. Learning shouldn't feel like learning, is how she puts it.
"My kid does not have to be a calculator. I want her to have logic. I want her to think critically. That's the whole program."
Sonia Abbas
Founder and Director of Ashwood Glen School in Burlington, Sonia Abbas is an entrepreneur and education leader passionate about creating exceptional learning experiences for children and families.
Before founding Ashwood Glen, Sonia spent 12 years in the Canadian banking industry, building expertise in finance, leadership, and business strategy. She holds an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, and combined her corporate experience with a vision to create the kind of school she wished existed for her own children, one where curiosity, character, and academic excellence thrive together.
Since opening Ashwood Glen, Sonia has led the school's growth into one of Burlington's leading independent schools and early learning communities. In recognition of her entrepreneurial leadership and contribution to the community, she was honoured as Female Entrepreneur of the Year by the Canada-Pakistan Business Council in 2024.
"Real learning happens when kids feel safe enough to be wrong, and curious enough to try again."
Built here. For here.
Scholar's Studio isn't a franchise. It's a passion project created to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning.
Conveniently located in the heart of Burlington, Scholar's Studio is designed to be a welcoming learning hub for families across the community.
Scholar's Studio is hosted on the Ashwood Glen school campus, designed for hands-on, small-group learning.
