Honesty is the best policy.

Lathrop High School junior Matthew Hernandez is finding out the truth of that, and more. When he returned a lost wallet with $2,000 in it to the anxious and rightful owner, the rewards for that single act of honesty at the beginning of this month continue to come his way.

At the last meeting of the Manteca Unified Board of Education on Dec. 10, the son of Jaime and Toni Hernandez of Lathrop was presented with yet another certificate of recognition from the school district. The award was presented to the 16-year-old by Lathrop School Principal Michael Horwood.

After his story was picked up by the news media, Hernandez received the first certificate of recognition and special award from the Lathrop City Council. Then he was honored by his teachers and peers at Lathrop School.

Close on the heels of those recognitions were a $6,000 college scholarship and a Playstation 4 from Manteca philanthropist Phil Waterford, owner of the Ford car dealership in Manteca. Waterford, who has been a strong supporter of veterans and their plight, was so moved when he read Hernandez’s tale of honesty that he decided to do something about it.

“When I read that, it made my whole day,” Waterford was quoted in the story about the teen’s honesty in the Manteca Bulletin. “Somebody so young to make a choice like that – the right decision – should be rewarded.”