Mike Hawthorne began his study of Aikido with Jones-sensei in 1996, after researching various martial arts in an attempt to relieve his mind off graduate school.

"At first I was looking for an art that taught self defense, so I looked at several other arts before coming across Aikido. I could tell there was something different about the art of Aikido, but I could not put my finger on it, and so I made up my mind and stepped in the dojo for the first time, to begin my study of Aikido. I still remember it as if it were yesterday: a beginner being greeted by people who would become lifelong friends, trying my best to emulate Sensei, feeling like I had 8 arms and 5 legs, learning ukemi, learning the Japanese phrases, and of course some aches and pains Now many years later, I am still practicing, trying to approach each class with a beginners mind. Finding out that the more that I practice I find that there is more to learn. Each practice I have discovered more and more about myself, and so I have found that the way of Budo is not only what we do in the dojo a couple of times a week, but how we live everyday."

Mike Hawthorne his wife Subrina and thier son, Michael Mathias live in Oakley, CA..